It wasn't me, cabbie says
A taxi driver sought for questioning over a small bomb set off outside Major Ratchayothin shopping and entertainment centre on Monday night reported to police yesterday to protest his innocence.
"I don't have anything to worry about - as long as the police aren't looking for a scapegoat," driver Wirat Jansa, 23, said. Police considered Wirat a suspect after a policeman spotted his taxi near a phone booth where a bomb exploded minutes later. Wirat said he stopped in the area seeking a fare. There were other taxis nearby. "But a traffic-police officer arrived and asked for my driver's licence. I showed him a ticket I had already received to explain why I didn't have my licence." He said the officer got in the vehicle and instructed him to drive to a police station to pay the fine. "But just after we pulled away we heard an explosion and the officer received radio instructions to check what had happened. He left, taking my first ticket with him," Wirat said. His dispatcher radioed instructions at 2am for Wirat to report to the police. Wirat presented himself to the police at 5am after his shift. He was questioned for nearly an hour. He said he noticed an older pickup near the telephone booth. "It left when the traffic officer neared. Normally, there are no other vehicles around except taxis," Wirat said. He observed two men aged 20 to 30 smoking at the phone booth shortly before the officer arrived.
|
