hai police bomb experts defuse explosive device at Supreme Court

BANGKOK, Feb 14 (TNA) — Police bomb experts Sunday defused an explosive device hidden within a cardboard carton at Thailand’s Supreme Court Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions, according to police.

Alerted by a Supreme Court security guard at 9.30am that a box wrapped with electrical wire was found near the court, police then rushed to scene sprayed water at the box which contained some 3 pounds of C4 explosive. If detonated, the bomb could damage people and buildings within a 50 metre radius.

Police later removed parts of the explosive for investigation and probed the motive behind the incident.

Supreme Court judges are scheduled to hand down their verdict on February 26 regarding the assets of fugitive ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s, some Bt76.6 billion, were accumulated illegally while he was in office.

Mr Thaksin was ousted in a bloodless coup in September 2006.

Sunday’s bomb defusing followed an unidentified bomber firing an M79 grenade at Rajamangala University of Technology Phra Nakhon, about 50 metres from Government House, at 11pm Saturday.

Sunday afternoon police said the attacker fired the grenade from a vehicle on Rama V Road, about 200 metres from where the bomb exploded. He had intended to hit Government House, but  the bomber missed his target as the projectile fell inside the university, damaging four cars parked
at a faculty building and the roof of a pavilion. The bomber is still at large, police said.

Both incidents took place despite tightened security measures by police and army security personnel ahead of the final verdict which will be handed down on frozen assets of Mr. Thaksin and his family. (TNA)