About IFEX:

News by region:

IFEX Campaigns and Advocacy:

IFEX Email Products:

Opportunities and assistance:

Alert

Grenade explodes in front of government's TV station

(SEAPA/IFEX) - 1 September 2010 - A grenade believed to have been fired from an M-79 grenade launcher exploded in front of the National Broadcasting Services of Thailand in Bangkok on 31 August 2010, media reports said.

Agence France Presse quoted witnesses as saying that the grenade hit a tree before exploding, damaging six cars parked nearby. No one was hurt.

It was the second grenade attack in the capital in one week. Another grenade, which authorities also suspected to have been fired from a similar launcher, exploded in the King Power Duty Free shop on 26 August, seriously injuring a security guard.

Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said, "Based on circumstantial evidence, it's likely to have been caused by an M-79 (grenade)."

"The attack was an attempt to create a disturbance and to panic people and show there are loopholes in the government's measures," he added. Bangkok remains under emergency rule.

As of press time, no one had claimed responsibility for either attack.

Rattana Jarernsak, executive director of NBT, said there was no plan to evacuate. "The explosion has not really affected the journalists, and we'll continue our operations," Rattana said.