Thai police hint at Uighur link to Bangkok blast

Thai police on Tuesday hinted that the country’s worst terror attack at a downtown temple here was in retaliation to the destruction of a lucrative transnational network trafficking Uighurs from China’s restive northwestern Xinjiang province.

The August 17 blast at the popular Brahma shrine in Bangkok, and the second failed <g data-gr-id="37">bombing</g> a day later at a pier are connected to the July attack on the Thai consulate in Turkish capital Istanbul, national police chief Somyot Pumpunmuang said.

The bombing killed 20 people, the majority of them Chinese tourists, raising fears of a link to militants or supporters of the Uighurs, ethnic Turkic-speaking Muslims, who say they face heavy persecution in their native Xinjiang.

Somyot said both incidents followed Turkish anger over Thailand’s forced repatriation of 109 Uighur Muslims to China in July.

Thailand disrupted the network’s movement of the migrants when it detained them before deporting them. “Put simply, we destroyed their business,” Somyot said. He said the motive for the attack could be the dismantling of the network which was transporting Uighurs from one country to another.

This is the first time Thai police have formally referenced Uighurs in the case. Experts say Thailand has been avoiding naming Uighurs for economic and diplomatic reasons as it is wary of riling China.

The Thai tourist industry depends heavily on Chinese visitors and China is among the isolated ruling junta’s few international allies.

Thai police also said on Tuesday they will seek Turkish cooperation over reports that Abu <g data-gr-id="29">Dustar</g> Abdulrahman alias <g data-gr-id="30">Izan</g>, the alleged mastermind behind the attack, had fled to Turkey via India.

Thailand has so far arrested two foreigners and issued a dozen arrest warrants.

One of the two suspects in custody, Yusufu <g data-gr-id="36"><g data-gr-id="31">Mieraili</g>,</g> was arrested with a Chinese passport that showed his birthplace in Xinjiang province. Police are hunting for leads and for a yellow-shirted man believed to have placed the pipe bomb at the shrine, as well as suspects in the pier bombing.