Police in Thailand defused three unexploded bombs discovered in Bangkok and surrounding suburbs over a matter of hours, one in front of a school and another in a shopping mall, they said yesterday.
The finds — which come after a string of blasts in Bangkok — have raised further doubts over the speed at which emergency rule can be lifted in the Thai capital and prompted opposition accusations of a government conspiracy.
The Thai capital remains under emergency rule following deadly street clashes in April and May during anti-government protests.
The deputy prime minister in charge of national security, Suthep Thaugsuban, said he had instructed officials to tighten security again after the three devices were found on Wednesday.
“This indicates that government opponents do not want our country to return to normal ... Emergency rule is necessary to keep peace and order in Bangkok,” he said.
However, Jatuporn Prompan, a leader of the “Red Shirt” protest movement and an opposition lawmaker, said “all of the bombs are the work of the government” in an attempt to justify greater powers for the authorities.
Five grenade blasts in recent weeks, leaving one dead and 13 injured, have unnerved Bangkok residents still recovering from the unrest, though Suthep said a bomb hoax on Wednesday on a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok to Los Angeles was unrelated.
Last Friday more than 460 locations across Bangkok were placed on high alert and thousands of police, soldiers and city officials sent onto the streets to increase the security presence around the clock.
Royal palaces, government buildings, power plants and public transport are receiving protection from the Center for Resolution of Emergency Situation, the body set up to monitor security in response to the unrest.
Bangkok is one of seven areas still subject to emergency rule, which was introduced on April 7 as a response to the Red rallies that later left 91 people dead and about 1,900 injured in clashes between protesters and the army.
The law bans public gatherings of more than five people and allows security forces to detain suspects for 30 days without charge. Authorities have used the powers to arrest hundreds of suspects and silence anti-government media.
The protests by the Reds, many of whom back fugitive former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, attracted up to 100,000 people demanding immediate elections but were dispersed by an army crackdown on May 19.
After the crackdown, Red Shirt leaders asked their supporters to go home, but enraged protesters set fire to dozens of buildings, including a shopping mall and the stock exchange.
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