Bomb Blast Injures More Than 20 People at Bangkok Army Hospital

Thai forensic experts carry evidence as they leaves from a site of bomb blast at the Phramongkutklao Hospital, in Bangkok, Photo – Athit Perawongmetha

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BANGKOK – A bomb exploded at an army-run hospital in Bangkok on Monday, the third anniversary of a military coup, and authorities said more than 20 people were wounded.

Investigators found remnants of batteries and wires at the scene of the blast on the ground floor of Phramongkutklao Hospital, said Srivara Ransibrahmanakul, Thailand’s deputy national police chief.

“We can confirm at this stage that it is a bomb,” he said.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the explosion or if it was linked to the anniversary of the 2014 military coup that overthrew a democratically elected government.

But the army chief, Gen. Chalermchai Sittisart, said it appeared that Monday’s explosion and two earlier blasts in recent weeks used similar explosive materials and were likely part of an attempt to disrupt the government.

“All of this was conducted with the goal of creating disorder to the administrative work of the government and NCPO,” he said, referring to the National Council for Peace and Order, the official name of the ruling junta.

But he cautioned that “we shouldn’t conclude anything yet” about who was behind the attack.

The blast wounded 25 people, one of them severely, said Lt. Gen. Saroj Kiewkajee, a hospital official. Thirteen were discharged soon after the explosion. Phramongkutklao is a military-run hospital that is also open to civilians.

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Meanwhile in Southern Thailand, four soldiers received minor wounds when insurgents detonated a roadside homemade bomb in Yala province on Monday morning.

The Associated Press