One Singaporean confirmed killed in Bangkok bombing; death toll at 22

SINGAPORE/ BANGKOK – Singaporean Melisa Liu Rui Chum has been identified as among the nine foreigners killed in a bomb blast at a popular shrine in Bangkok last night (Aug 17). 

In response to media queries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) today confirmed the death of a Singaporean woman. “We regret to confirm that a Singaporean woman was among those killed by yesterday’s deadly bomb blast in Bangkok," said the MFA, adding that the Singapore embassy in  Bangkok is providing consular assistance to the woman's family.

“Deeply saddened” by this development, the MFA reiterated its strong condemnation of the indiscriminate act of violence, while extending its deepest condolences to the bereaved family for their loss.

Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam also offered his deepest condolences to the family of the Singaporean woman killed, and deepest sympathies to Thailand in a ministerial statement in Parliament today. "Nothing can justify the killing of innocent civilians," he reiterated. 

As for the other injured Singaporeans, the MFA updated that “all are receiving medical attention”, while those with light injures have been discharged. Singapore’s Ambassador to Thailand Chua Siew San visited the injured Singaporeans at local hospitals this morning. The majority of the registered Singaporeans in Bangkok had been contacted by the MFA, which said it is monitoring the situation closely. 

“Our Embassy will continue to provide consular support for the injured Singaporeans and their next-of-kin,” said the MFA.

Hua Chiew Hospital in Bangkok told TODAY that three Singaporeans aged between 53 and 69 were treated there. They were sent to hospital at around 8pm last night. Mr Ong Li Meng, 53, and Ms Ong Chiew Lee, 59, were sent to the operating theatre this afternoon, while Ms Ong Chiew Huay, 69, has since been discharged. 

Two Singaporeans, a mother and her son, were treated at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital. Naming them as Ms Michelle Heng, 58, and Mr Donovan Chan, 21, a spokesman from the hospital, they are in “safe condition”.

DEATH TOLL CLIMBS TO 22

As of this morning, the death toll reached 22. Three Chinese were among the dead, the official Xinhua news agency said. Two Hong Kong residents, two people from Malaysia and one person from the Philippines were killed, officials said. Thai national police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri said the death toll stood at 22 from the bombing, with 123 people wounded, including many from China and Taiwan.

Thai authorities today said they were looking for a suspect seen on closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage. National police chief Somyot Pumpanmuang said the suspect, who was wearing a yellow shirt and was seen in a first CCTV image with a backpack and then in a later one without the bag, could be Thai or a foreigner.

Police earlier said they had not ruled out any group, including elements opposed to the military government, for the bombing at the Erawan shrine on Monday evening, although officials said the attack did not match the tactics of Muslim insurgents in the south. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha also referred to the man as a suspect without giving details. He said there were "still anti-government groups out there", although he did not elaborate. No one has claimed responsibility.

National police chief Somyot Poompanmuang told reporters the attack was unprecedented in Thailand. He said the blast was caused by a pipe bomb.

When TODAY visited Ratchaprasong junction and Rajdamri Road this morning, the streets were unusually quiet for a Tuesday morning. Some schools in the area were closed due to road closures. Thai authorities have urged the public not to speculate while investigations are ongoing.

Mr Paisit Boonratyothin, 30, security officer at BigC mall, less than 100m from bomb site, was manning the mall's entrance this morning to restrict entry only to staff. The mall opened only at noon instead of 9am due to the closure of Rajdamri Road. He said: "Of course I'm worried about safety. But this is not the first time violence has broken out in this area. We are used to it already."

Security officer Paisit Boonratyothin (centre) manning the entrance of a mall on Rajdamri Road. Photo: Jason Tan/TODAY

The Associate Press updated that the central Bangkok intersection where the bomb went off has been reopened to traffic by 12.30pm, some 17 hours after the devastating explosion. 

Thai forces are fighting a low-level Muslim insurgency in the predominantly Buddhist country's south, but those rebels have rarely launched attacks outside their heartland. "This does not match with incidents in southern Thailand. The type of bomb used is also not in keeping with the south," Royal Thai Army chief and deputy defence minister General Udomdej Sitabutr said in a televised interview.

Police teams were deployed to the blood splattered site early this morning, with some wearing white gloves and carrying plastic bags, searching for clues. "Collection of evidence last night was not complete," Mr Udomdej said.

The Erawan shrine, on a busy corner near top hotels, shopping centres, offices and a hospital, is a major attraction, especially for visitors from East Asia, including China. Many Thais also worship there.

"The perpetrators intended to destroy the economy and tourism, because the incident occurred in the heart of the tourism district," Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan told Reuters late last night.

Tourism is one of the few bright spots in an economy that continues to underperform more than a year after the military seized power in May 2014. It accounts for about 10 per cent of the economy, and the government had expected a record number of visitors this year following a sharp fall last year during months of street protests and the coup.

HORRIFIC SCENE

At the scene last evening lay burnt out motorcycles, with rubble from the shrine's wall and pools of blood on the street.

"There were bodies everywhere," said Mr Marko Cunningham, a New Zealand paramedic working with a Bangkok ambulance service, who said the blast had left a 2m-wide crater. "Some were shredded. There were legs where heads were supposed to be. It was horrific," Mr Cunningham said, adding that people several hundred metres away had been wounded.

The government would set up a "war room" to coordinate the response to the blast, the Nation television channel quoted Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha as saying.

Authorities stepped up security checks at some major city intersections and in tourist areas.

Thailand has also been riven for a decade by a sometimes violent struggle for power between political factions in Bangkok. Occasional small blasts have been blamed on one side or the other. Two pipe bombs exploded outside a luxury shopping mall in the same area in February, but caused little damage.

In Washington, the US State Department said it was too soon to tell if the blast was a terrorist attack. Spokesman John Kirby said authorities in Thailand had not requested US help so far. REUTERS, ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JASON TAN, TOH EE MING