(Reuters) — Thailand’s police chief Somyot Poompanmuang said on Monday (August 24) Bangkok bomber suspect might still be in the country, a week after a blast killed 20 people including foreigners.
The blast last Monday at one of the capital’s most famous shrines, packed with Asian visitors, will inevitably dent the tourist industry, one of the economy’s few bright spots.
Economic woes could undermine the military government as it steers the country towards an election next year under a new constitution critics say will not end a decade of turbulent politics.
The strongest evidence appears to be grainy CCTV footage of a young man who left a backpack at the Erawan Shrine before the explosion. He disappeared into the night, on a motorcycle taxi.
Police on Monday said there is no reason to believe that the suspect had left the country.
“Today when I say I’m certain that the suspect is still in the country because I don’t have any evidence to confirm (that he left Thailand). If you (reporter) ask me what’s the reason that caused you to believe that (that he left), I won’t be able to answer that,” said police chief Somyot Poompanmuang.
Nearly a week after the bomb, authorities appear no closer to identifying suspects or a motive, with police saying on Sunday (August 23) a lack of modern equipment was hampering their investigation.
Somyot reiterated on Monday the lack of modern technology at the Immigration department.
“Technology nowadays, they (other counties) use biometrics system which consists of finger prints, facial and iris recognition which Thailand doesn’t have at the moment,” he said.
Authorities have issued confusing and at times contradictory statements about the suspect’s appearance, the number of accomplices he might have had and the likelihood of foreign involvement.
Police are also investigating another piece of CCTV footage that could provide clues to who was responsible for a small blast on Tuesday at a river pier that caused no injuries.
Police said they were investigating the footage of a man who appeared to push a bag off a walkway into the river. They have not confirmed the blasts were linked.
The Erawan Shrine, dedicated to a Hindu deity, is hugely popular with tourists from China and seven of the 14 foreigners among the dead were from mainland China and Hong Kong.