Thai PM condemns hospital bombing as security boosted
BANGKOK — Thailand’s prime minister said Tuesday that authorities will use any means necessary to track down the perpetrators behind a bomb attack at a hospital that wounded more than 20 people, while the ruling junta said security elsewhere in the country was being reviewed.
“Those who are behind this have gravely violated human rights and have done something unforgivable,” said Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who is also the head of the military junta that rules Thailand. “We will speed up efforts to find the perpetrators and will use all means necessary to find out who’s behind the bombing.”
The blast at Bangkok’s military-run Phramongkutklao Hospital on Monday fell on the third anniversary of the coup Prayuth led against the country’s democratically elected government. The takeover ended months of sometimes violent street protests that were part of broader political unrest that has exposed wide divisions in Thai society over the past decade.
Army chief Gen. Chalermchai Sittisart said Monday that it appeared that the explosion and two earlier blasts in Bangkok in recent weeks used similar explosive materials and were likely part of an attempt to disrupt the government.