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Breaking News…. about few minutes ago, several explosions happened in Bangkok, Thailand as the people prepared to celebrate the end of year 2006 and the arrival of the new year, 2007.. I quote as below…
From news.com.au
Four bombs hit Thai capital
December 31, 2006 11:28pm
AT least 12 people were injured in Bangkok tonight when four bombs exploded as revellers were preparing to bring in the new year.
From Cnn.Com
Dozen wounded in string of blasts in Bangkok
POSTED: 7:53 a.m. EST, December 31, 2006BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) — At least four explosions have ripped through several areas of downtown Bangkok wounding at least 12 people, police say.
Sunday’s blasts came as residents prepared to celebrate New Year’s Eve at midnight (noon ET).
Chief government spokesman Yongyud Maiyalab warned people to be cautious but not to panic.
One blast occurred at a mall near the Victory Monument in the center of the Thai capital, Reuters reported.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
From BBCNews.com
Bangkok hit by series of blasts
At least 12 people have been hurt in four explosions in the Thai capital, Bangkok, reports quoting police say.
The blasts took place within 90 minutes of each other, with the first one at the Victory Monument in the centre.
Further explosions were reported at two police posts in Bangkok’s northern suburbs and in the Klong Tuey area.
Thailand’s prime minister was ousted in a military coup in September while the country’s south has seen a wave of attacks blamed on Muslim separatists.
Police are investigating suspicious packages found at another six locations in the capital, a police spokesman told the iTV television network.
More updates to come….
Update at 10.45pm AWST
From News.com.au
Six bombs hit Bangkok, three dead
January 01, 2007 12:33am
THAILAND’S capital Bangkok was rocked by up to six bombs this evening, with one news report that three people had been killed.
A Government spokesman told the Japenese Kyodo news agency that there had been six explosions in the Thai capital, three of which destroyed police boxes.
The explosions occurred almost simultaneously.
The Nation newspaper counted a total of seven explosions and said two people were killed and 20 injured in the Victory Monument explosion, while one person was dead at the Big C supermarket in Saphan Khwai where a witness saw a man drop a grenade from a pedestrian bridge.
The report could not be independently confirmed.
The Bangkok Post reported on its website that Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont was preparing to speak to the press and the nation following the co-ordinated attacks.
Anan Srihiran, police major general in charge of Klong Toey district urged people to be careful as they celebrated New Year, and asked the public to report any suspicious incidents.
It was not immediately clear if the bombs had anything to do with a military coup on September 19 that ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, or with an ongoing violent separatist insurgency in the kingdom’s south.
Thailand’s military-installed premier Mr Surayud had warned earlier this week of possible large-scale attacks by Islamic militants during the New Year holidays.
However, that warning was for the nation’s restive Muslim-majority south, where an ongoing insurgency has killed 1,700 people since January 2004, but has rarely affected people outside the three provinces bordering Malaysia.
An intelligence source told AFP that the attacks were likely to be politically motivated.
“The bombs are not involved with southern unrest or even the hanging of Saddam. It is a political issue – it is undercurrents and they plan to bomb 22 positions in the next few days,” the source said, but did not elaborate.
A spokesman for Mr Surayud said he was aware of the attacks, but did not know who was behind them.
Updated at 11.40pm AWST
From Cnn.Com
2 killed in Bangkok blasts; New Year’s events canceled
POSTED: 9:35 a.m. EST, December 31, 2006BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) — Thai authorities have canceled all major New Year’s celebrations in Bangkok after at least seven explosions ripped through several areas of the capital, killing two people, police and hospital officials say.
At least 12 other people were wounded in Sunday’s attacks, which appeared to have been coordinated, and took place hours before New Year’s Eve celebrations at midnight (noon ET).
Major events in Thailand’s second largest city, Chiang Mai, have also been canceled.
Chief government spokesman Yongyud Maiyalab warned people to be cautious but not to panic.
One of the blasts occurred at a mall near the Victory Monument in the center of the Thai capital, Reuters reported.
“There was a big bang and people started screaming and running. I saw people with blood all over their legs and faces,” witness Chalermsak Sanbee, 17, told Reuters.
National police chief Gen. Ajirawit Suphanaphesat said on the iTV television network that authorities were inspecting several more locations where there were suspicious packages, The Associated press reported.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Bombings occur on a regular basis in Thailand’s three southernmost provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani, where an Islamic insurgency that flared in January 2004 has killed more than 1,900 people.
But Ajirawit said the insurgents were probably not behind Sunday’s attacks, AP reported.
Thailand canceled its 2005 New Year’s celebrations, along with the rest of Southeast Asia and many other countries, to honor the victims of the Dec. 26, 2004 tsunami which killed more than 200,000 people — including nearly 6,000 people in Thailand.
The Pigs and Cows who Oinked and Mooed