Thai police blame "saboteurs" for blast that nearly killed premier

At a press conference that left many questions unanswered, Police General Pornsak Durongkaviboon, the National Police Commissioner, accused "saboteurs" of planting a C-4 type bomb aboard TG 114, in which Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was scheduled to fly from Bangkok to Chiang Mai on Saturday.

The Boeing 737-400 jet was rocked by an explosion at 2:40 p.m. Saturday, 35 minutes before its scheduled departure from Bangkok International Airport, with only THAI and airport staff on board. One steward was killed by the blast.

While Thai investigators have established that the explosion was caused by a C-4 bomb, a fairly sophisticated device made with urea fertilizer, they remained tight-lipped on who they suspect was behind the blast, and whether it was an assassination attempt on Thaksin or some other high-ranking government official booked on the domestic flight.

Officials have speculated that the bomb may have been planted by drug traffickers annoyed by recent government crackdowns on their activities, by political rivalry or by a business conflict at the airport.

"We have not ruled out any of the possible motives," said Pornsak, who refused to provide further details for fear of endangering the investigations outcome.

He indicated that the bomb was an inside job, noting that the tarmac was a restricted area where only authorized personnel could visit.

Pornsak added that a C-4 bomb could only be constructed by trained personnel, either in the Thai military or police force or in the armed forces of neighbouring countries where C-4 bombs were also commonly used.

The bomb was placed in the cargo area, at a spot about six seats away from where Thaksin and his son were booked, said Pornsak.

Meanwhile, THAI has offered a reward for any information that leads to the arrest of the persons behind the bomb.

Security for Thaksin has been beefed up since the incident. Thaksin, whose Thai Rak Thai party came to power after the January 6 general election, only took office about two weeks ago.

(kil/dpa)