bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

A key suspect in last month’s deadly Bangkok blast paid a $600 bribe to illegally enter Thailand, police said Thursday, highlighting widespread corruption at the kingdom’s borders.
Adem Karadag, one of two foreigners arrested in connection with the August 17 attack, was detained at a flat in eastern Bangkok late last month.
Police say he was found in possession of bomb-making paraphernalia and dozens of fake Turkish passports.
Karadag’s role has not been explained by police, but say they now know more about how he came to be in Thailand.

“The first man (Karadag) said he travelled through Vietnam to a neighbouring country where he then paid for transportation,” police chief Somyot Poompanmoung told reporters, without specifying which neighbouring country.
“At the Thai border he paid $600 (to cross into Thailand),” he added, without revealing the identity of the official who took the bribe.
A second man, Yusufu Mieraili, was detained two days later on the border with Cambodia.
He was allegedly found in possession of a Chinese passport which police believe is genuine.

Police say Mieraili has confessed to delivering the backpack bomb to another man who left it at the Erawan Shrine minutes before the explosion.
Thailand is a notorious sanctuary for on-the-run foreigners and visa over-stayers, with officials often willing to take a bribe to turn a blind eye to illegality.
In recent days Somyot, himself a former deputy commander with immigration police, has railed against the ease of buying off border officials.
“I cannot ignore this problem because I feel ashamed,” he told reporters on Wednesday as he called on the junta to help him clamp down on corrupt border officials.
Although Somyot did not confirm which country Karadag entered from, it is likely to be Laos or Cambodia, both of which sit between Thailand and Vietnam.
Since the bombing at least six police officers have been removed from their posts bordering Cambodia where Mieraili was apprehended after they reportedly took bribes to let people pass.
Somyot raised eyebrows shortly after Karadag’s arrest when he announced that he was awarding his own officers a reward of some $84,000 for making their first arrest in the case. At the time Karadag had not even been charged.
Mystery still surrounds the motive of the group accused of being responsible for the August 17 bombing that left 20 people dead in the heart of Bangkok and rocked Thailand’s key tourist industry.
Analysts have suggested a link with Muslim Uygur militants or their supporters, possibly enraged by Thailand’s deportation of scores of the minority to their Chinese homeland earlier this summer.
In recent days Thai media have focused on a suspected mastermind identified as “Izan” or “Ishan” who reportedly orchestrated the bombing and fled the country before the attack.
Police on Thursday confirmed the man was a suspect but played down his status.
“Do not conclude Ishan was a big fish,” Somyot said. “You might be surprised.”
 


Translator trouble deepens delay in Bangkok bomb trial

Bangkok bomb trial looms without masterminds in dock

Translator for Bangkok bombing suspects held on drug charges

‘I’m not an animal’: shackled Thailand bomb suspect calls out famous ‘Elephant Man’ line as he is lead to court in front of waiting cameras

Bangkok shrine bombing

One of the Bangkok bomb suspects bribed his way into Thailand: police

 Bomb suspect Adem Karadag allegedly paid US$600 to enter Thailand from an undisclosed neighbouring country.  Photo: EPA

Police chief Somyot Poompanmoung.  Photo: AP

Yusufu Mieraili, one of the suspects in the Bangkok bombing, takes part in a crime re-enactment under escort of Thai police this week.  Photo: Xinhua

Bangkok bomb linked to East Turkestan Islamic Movement, as Chinese media stops downplaying issue due to sensitivities over Uygurs

Bangkok bombing suspect Yusufu Mieraili holds a Chinese passport. Photo: EPA

A man burns joss stick at a statue of Lord Brahma, the Hindu God of Creation, at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok. Photo: EPA

Yusufu Mieraili (centre, in yellow), takes part in a reenactment of the bombing with police officers in Bangkok. Photo: AFP

Thailand unveils restored Erawan statue three weeks after deadly Bangkok blast killed 20 

Damaged statue of Lord Brahma, the Hindu God of creation (L), on 21 August 2015, and after its restoration (R). Photo: EPA

The casualty figures from the deadly attack outside the Erawan Shrine on 17 August stand at 20 dead and 123 injured according to the Erawan Medical Centre. Photo: EPA

A Brahmin Priest pours holy water onto the Lord Brahma statue during a religious ceremony to worship statue after it was renovated. Photo: EPA

Thai junta broadcast unrelated suicide vest picture when announcing arrest of foreign suspect

This television frame grab taken on August 29 from Thai television station Channel 3 shows a National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) broadcast with an inset picture of the suicide vest which is unrelated to the investigation. Photo: AFP

The arrested suspect of the recent Bangkok blast. Photo: Reuters

News

Asia

Southeast Asia