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September 11, 2015

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Blast suspect 鈥榖ribed way into Thailand鈥

A KEY suspect in last month鈥檚 deadly Bangkok blast paid a US$600 bribe to illegally enter Thailand, police said yesterday, highlighting widespread corruption at the kingdom鈥檚 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鈥檚 role has not been explained by police, but say they now know more about how he came to be in Thailand.

鈥淭he first man (Karadag) said he travelled through Vietnam to a neighboring country where he then paid for transportation,鈥 police chief Somyot Poompanmoung told reporters, without specifying which neighboring country.

鈥淎t the Thai border he paid US$600 (to cross into Thailand),鈥 he added.

A second man, Yusufu Mieraili, was held two days later on the border with Cambodia. He was allegedly found in possession of a genuine Chinese passport.

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.


 

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