- Title: THAILAND-BLAST/MORNING-REAX Shocked Bangkok wakes up to bomb aftermath
- Date: 18th August 2015
- Summary: BANGKOK, THAILAND (AUGUST 18, 2015)(REUTERS) RATCHAPRASON INTERSECTION WHERE BLAST TOOK PLACE DAMAGED GLASS ON GROUND / PEOPLE STANDING GLASS ON GROUND POLICEMEN AND MILITARY PERSONNEL STANDING BEHIND LINE MILITARY STANDING BEHIND LINE POLICE CHIEF SOMYOT POOMPANMUANG WALKING (SOUNDBITE)(Thai) POLICE CHIEF SOMYOT POOMPANMUANG SAYING: "This attack was aimed to take lives" P
- Embargoed: 2nd September 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Thailand
- Country: Thailand
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVABNC74IVJT31XYASQHMKFPN4QL
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Thailand woke up on Tuesday (August 18) to the aftermath of a bomb which killed 22, including eight foreigners, on the night before in the centre of Bangkok.
The explosion at the popular Erawan shrine was from pipe bomb, police said, and did not match the tactics used by separatist rebels in southern Thailand.
Thai Officials have yet to blame any group for the on Monday (August 17) evening, which the government called a bid to destroy the economy. No one has claimed responsibility.
"This attack aimed to take lives," National police chief Somyot Poompanmuang told reporters, adding that the attack was unprecedented.
Three Chinese were among the dead, the official Xinhua news agency said. Two Hong Kong residents, two people from Malaysia and one person from the Philippines had also been killed, officials said. Scores of people were wounded, including many from China and Taiwan.
"I think this will effect our economy badly. It also effects badly people's minds -- both locals and tourists," said Vichien Roichakkul, a Bangkok resident.
"This is very bad for the economy. If I were a tourist, I wouldn't want to be in this kind of situation," said 42-year-old Kamolrat Muangmun, another local.
Police teams were deployed to the blood splattered site early on Tuesday, with some wearing white gloves and carrying plastic bags, searching for clues.
The shrine, on a busy corner near top hotels, shopping centres, offices and a hospital, is a major attraction, especially for visitors from East Asia, including China. Many ordinary Thais also worship there.
Tourism is one of the few bright spots in an economy that continues to underperform more than a year after the military seized power in May 2014.
It accounts for about 10 percent of the economy, and the government had expected a record number of visitors this year following a sharp fall in 2014 during months of street protests and the coup. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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