Tuesday blast 'not linked to terrorism, Hezbollah'

The government does not consider the blasts in Bangkok on Tuesday an act of terrorism and that the botched bombing attempt has nothing to do with the militant group Hezbollah, government figures said yesterday.

Deputy Prime Minister General Yuthasak Sasiprapha, who is in charge of security affairs, told the House of Representatives yesterday that the explosions had been caused by bombs that were intended to kill individuals, not a large group of people.

He said the men involved in the explosions were not from Lebanon, where Hezbollah is based. However, he said, he was still waiting for verification as to whether the men were indeed Iranian nationals.

"The components of the bombs are not of the same type as the ones made by Hezbollah," said Yuthasak, who was previously defence minister.

Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul also said yesterday that the men behind the blasts had no links to Hezbollah as "they are not of the same nationality". He also dismissed any connection between the blasts in Bangkok and the attacks earlier this week in India and Georgia, which were allegedly meant to target Israeli diplomats. However, magnets were found in the bombs used in Bangkok, which were similar to the ones used in the other two countries.

Yuthasak and Surapong were responding to a query posed by opposition Democrat MP Thana Chirawinit. They were speaking on behalf of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Hezbollah, which literally means "Party of God", is a Shi'ite Muslim militant group and political party based in Lebanon. It is believed to receive financial and political support from Iran and Syria.

Yuthasak said yesterday that Tuesday's blasts affected Thailand's security, adding that state agencies had been ordered to beef up security following the incident.

"With the increased conflict between Middle Eastern and Western countries, Thai security agencies will have to intensify their work," he said.

The foreign minister added that other countries had confidence in the Thai security agencies, as he expressed concern about the negative news targeting the government as well as the rumours swirling after the incident.