Bangkok Still Safe For Tourists, Says Thai Foreign Ministry

BANGKOK, Aug 19 (Bernama) -- Bangkok is still safe for tourists who are here or planning to come to this city, said the Thai Foreign Ministry. Permanent Secretary of the ministry Narachit Sighasenee said on Tuesday the explosion at the Ratchaprasong intersection which killed at least 20 people while injuring hundreds more Monday night was apparenltly not aimed at tourists. "Bangkok is still safe for tourists because there is no grounds to believe that the blast was targeted at them. "The authorities are conducting a thorough investigation while safety measures are in place to deter such an incident from happening again," he told reporters at the ministry. The explosion at about 7pm (8pm Malaysian time) occurred at the Ratchaprasong intersection near the famous Erawan Shrine and Bangkok's colourful and high-street shopping. On another development, this metropolitan also was hit by another bomb explosion Tuesday afternoon, but nobody was injured. It happened at around 1.00pm near the Sathorn Bridge not far from the famous Chao Phraya River fronted by several luxury hotels. Nobody was injured in the latest bomb blast, said police spokesman Lt-Gen Prawut Thavornsiri. Police also released a footage that showed a male suspect in a yellow shirt who appeared to leave behind a backpack in the area before moving away. Tourists were the majority of those killed and injured. --BERNAMA