Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Bangkok Shrine Reopens As Police Continue Hunt For Suspect

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Buddhist monks have led prayers for the reopening of a Bangkok shrine where a blast killed 20 people, as police in Thailand continue to hunt a man shown on security footage calmly planting what is believed to be the bomb. Aljazeera reports:

The bomb struck early on Monday evening as worshippers and tourists crowded into the Erawan shrine in the Thai capital’s commercial heart, but no one has yet claimed responsibility. About a dozen monks led the prayers at the Erawan shrine as it reopened early on Wednesday while devotees – including tourists – bent down and held joss sticks.
The attack left at least 11 foreigners dead, with Chinese, Hong Kong, Singaporean, Indonesian and a family from Malaysia among the victims. More than 100 other people were wounded by a blast that shredded bodies and incinerated motorcycles at one of the city’s busiest intersections. Police said a second explosion at a Bangkok pier on Tuesday that caused no injuries may be linked, deepening fears for Bangkok residents with police conceding they do not know who was responsible.
A relative of the dead Malaysians had laid bundles of clothes at the shrine to represent the lost loved ones, according to a monk. The shrine – a popular tourist attraction that typifies the kingdom’s unusual blend of Hindu and Buddhist traditions – and its surrounding had already been largely restored. Twisted iron railings were the only immediate sign of the carnage, which police believe was caused by a bomb made up of three kilogrammes of explosives and ball bearings.

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