Decision on bomb charges due tomorrow

POST REPORTERS

Police are expected to consider warrants for the arrest of suspects in the New Year bomb blasts case tomorrow, said a source. National police chief Gen Kowit Wattana has called investigators to a meeting to review evidence and decide who shall be charged, said the source.

Police detained 18 suspects for questioning on Jan 20.

They have to be released in seven days if they have still not been charged. The deadline ends tomorrow.

Investigators have evidence to implicate a lieutenant-colonel attached to a Lop Buri-based military unit, said the source. He is among those being detained for questioning.

According to the source, two civilians and three military officers have been released because there is no evidence to link them to the bomb attacks.

No suspects have admitted their involvement.

They all insisted they were not in Bangkok or Nonthaburi on Dec 31.

The source said police have to rely on forensic evidence as there are no witnesses.

Special Branch Police chief Pol Lt-Gen Thiradej Rodpothong said the public could look forward to good news in the next few days, but did not elaborate.

Deputy chief of the Institute of Forensic Science Pol Maj-Gen Prapat Khontrong said Australian bomb experts had created a model of the bombs believed to have been used on Dec 31, and sent it to investigators.

The detail of the bombs would help investigators in the questioning process, he said. Four suspects underwent a lie-detector test yesterday.

Assistant army chief Gen Anupong Paochinda yesterday went to Lop Buri to visit a military unit, but denied it had anything to do with the case.

Many suspects were based in Lop Buri. Assistant army chief Saprang Kalayanamitr yesterday labelled those involved in the blasts as ''opportunistic diseases''.

According to Gen Saprang, soldiers and police were involved in the blasts because they are among the people who have the capacity to make bombs.

General News
Bangkok Post
Thursday January 25, 2007