Motorcycles destroyed in the bombing. Reuters.
A bombing in Thailand killed at least 12 people outside of a Hindu shrine. Reuters. The bomber used a motorcycle and detonated the bomb in a major Bangkok intersection. 20 people were also wounded in the attack and police are searching for more bombs. Thailand does have an Islamic insurgency, but they rarely attack outside of their southern homeland. Though nothing has been ruled out it is also possible that one of the political factions in Thailand could be responsible for the blast. Bangkok is currently under martial law due to high tensions after the military overthrew the government in 2014. The intersection was the site of mass protests back in 2010 where many people were killed.
Other sources put the death toll at 27, including several foreign tourists.
My Comment:
Video of the blast.
I have to admit, I'm fairly ignorant when it comes to central Asia. I did not know that the civilian government had been overthrown in Thailand. I did know that they had an Islamic insurgency, but what country doesn't these days? Still, when you think of mass casualty bombings you don't generally think of Thailand. For me when I hear Thailand, I think of tourists and the role they played in the Vietnam War.
So who is responsible? It's very hard to tell at this point. The obvious candidate is Islamic terrorism, but we shouldn't jump to conclusions. It's true that Thailand has an Islamic extremist element, but they are mostly far away from Bangkok. And most Islamic bombings are suicide bombings and so far nobody has called this a suicide bombing. Though a Hindu shrine does seem to be a prime target for an Islamist to attack, I don't think that is what happened here.
A much more believable candidate is one of the various non-Islamic factions operating in Bangkok. The city is under marital law for a reason after all, and there has been a few bombings lately. Plus the site of the bombing has symbolic importance because it was where a lot of people died in anti-government protests. That's too big of a coincidence for me. This was a political statement. The question now is who it was directed at. Someone unhappy with the military? Or someone unhappy with the old government? I wish I knew more but right now all I have is speculation.
This is going to be a huge blow to Thailand's tourism industry. Tourism is a huge part of their economy, and these kinds of attacks always scare people away, even if the actual threat isn't to severe. Indeed, some are speculating that driving away tourists might have been the goal of the attack.
People are willing to go to places where there is some danger or instability. People probably know about the various insurgencies and unrest in Thailand because, until now, they weren't the target. That doesn't seem to be the case anymore. I personally don't think I would cancel any trips if I was going there. I'd just keep aware of my surroundings, like I would do anyways. These kinds of attacks are rare, and even if they weren't, your chances of being caught up in one are rare.
Still, terrorism is a huge threat to tourism. Look what happened to Tunisia. They had two major attacks that killed dozens of people, most of them tourists. They still have people going there but not at the rate they used too. The same thing could be happening in Egypt after ISIS decapitated the Croatian Tomislav Salopek.
It seems strange to harp on the tourism issue, but this really is going to have in impact beyond the lives lost today. Thailand is a country that is hugely dependent on tourism in order to take care of its people. To see the country descend into chaos could have a huge impact on the people living there. My hope is the bomber or bombers are brought quickly to justice so things can return to normal, or at least more normal then it is now.
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