BANGKOK — Six days after a deadly bomb killed at least 20 people in Bangkok, police said yesterday their prime suspect in the attack may have successfully fled the country.
While Thailand's top cop blamed outdated equipment for the seemingly stalled-out hunt for the attacker behind the Erawan Shrine bombing, a police spokesman yesterday said the bomber had likely carefully timed the attacks so that he wouldn’t have lingered in the country.
"I suspect that he may have left,” Police Lt. Gen. Prawuth Thawornsiri told Channel 3, according to an Associated Press report. “But we will keep searching in case we can find others who may be in the country or find clues, evidence and witnesses who may have seen him."
Bangkok police chief Lt. Gen. Sriwarah Rangsipramnakul, put to the same question, simply replied, “It’s difficult to answer that question.
With no clear suspects identified or motives assigned, outgoing national police chief Somyot Pumpanmuang faulted the equipment available to investigators.
"If we are lucky, we will be able to catch the perpetrator," Somyot said. "The delay in our investigation is not caused by our incompetence. It is because we don't have modern equipment to aid our work like police in foreign countries."
He added that while they are requesting equipment from other countries, they will not allow any representatives from other nations to “interfere” with their investigation.
Meanwhile the fruits of that investigation which have come to light mostly involve piecing together the whereabouts of the shrine bombing suspect before the attack, while leads emerged during the weekend about another suspect behind a bomb that exploded near the Sathorn Pier.
It emerged yesterday that a taxi driver has told police he gave a ride to the suspected Erawan bomber, a man seen leaving a backpack inside the shrine minutes before the blast, to Hua Lamphong Railway Station on the night of the blast.
Police spokesman Prawuth said the driver carried the bomb suspect from the Yannawa area to Hua Lamphong railway station. That would place him near to where a tuk-tuk driver said he picked up the suspect near a car repair shop and took him to the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel.
Sriwarah, chief of metropolitan police, said the taxi driver has been questioned but declined to elaborate.
“We have already summoned the taxi driver who picked up the suspect for interrogation, but I cannot disclose any information, because right now we are still collecting evidence and witnesses testimonies,” Sriwarah said yesterday.