Chinese suspects in Bangkok bomb case deny all charges
Print Edition
TWO Chinese ethnic Uygur men yesterday appeared at a Thai military court and denied all charges against them relating to the bomb attack that killed 20 people in Bangkok last year.
Most of those killed in the August 17 explosion at the Erawan Shrine, which is located in the center of the city and is a popular attraction for tourists and Thais alike, were foreigners.
More than 120 people were wounded in the blast.
The two men — Bilal Mohammad, 31, and Mieraili Yusufu, 27 — face eight charges related to the bombing, including conspiracy to explode bombs and commit premeditated murder.
The pair were making their first appearance at a military court since November, when they were read the charges against them.
Bilal, also known as Adem Karadag — the name on a fake Turkish passport he was carrying when he was arrested — faces two additional charges of violating immigration law by entering Thailand illegally.
Both men told the court yesterday that they were Chinese citizens but members of the Uygur minority, from the city of Urumqi, capital of west China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Thai authorities have said the bombing was revenge by a people-smuggling gang whose activities were disrupted by a crackdown.
However, some analysts said it might have been the work of Uygur separatists who were angry that Thailand in July repatriated more than 100 Uygurs to China. The shrine is popular with Chinese tourists, and many were among the victims of the bombing.
Bilal was arrested on August 29 at a Bangkok apartment, while Yusufu was arrested on September 1 near the Thai-Cambodia border.
Police said the case against the two men is supported by closed-circuit television footage, witness testimonies, DNA matching and physical evidence, in addition to their confessions.
Police believe Yusufu detonated the bomb minutes after a backpack containing the device was left at the shrine by a yellow-shirted man they suspect was Bilal.
The court said yesterday it has set April 20-22 for hearings to examine the evidence in the case.
Police said in December that two other suspects wanted in connection with the bomb had been arrested abroad and that Thailand was in the process of requesting their extradition.
Since then, there has been no progress in bringing the pair to Thailand and local police said this week they were unsure of the suspects’ whereabouts.
Police have issued warrants for 17 people in connection with the attack. Fifteen of those wanted are still at large.
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