As many as six bomb explosions rocked Bangkok on Friday, August 2, injuring at least four people, even as the city hosted an annual regional security forum of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
The injured have been taken to the hospital. "None are serious and all are receiving medical attention at hospitals," the Erawan Medical Center was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Three bombs exploded at the Government Complex in Chaeng Wattana and one failed to go off, said Police Colonel Kamtorn Uicharoen. He added that two other bombs blew up in the Chong Nonsi area.
"The bombs in these two areas were improvised explosive devices triggered by timer," he said. An explosive described as a "ping-pong bomb" was also reported to have exploded in the Suan Luang area.
Three street cleaners were lightly injured in the Government complex blast. Another person was reported to be injured near the King Power Mahanakhon building area.
Prime Minister of Thailand, Prayuth Chan-o-cha, condemned the attack and said that the incident destroys peace and the country's image. "I would like to condemn those causing the situation which destroys peace and damages the country's image," he wrote on Twitter.
"I have instructed officials to take care of public safety and those affected promptly," he added.
A statement released by the Prime Minister's office said an immediate investigation has been ordered. "The situation is being closely monitored and security measures have been tightened. The public is urged not to panic," the statement read.
ASEAN summit
Key officials from world powers, including US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, are attending the crucial regional security summit. Indian Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar is also present.
The Thai police reportedly found two fake bombs near the venue of the Asean summit meeting on Thursday night. Security procedure, such as evacuation and detection by the bomb squad, was conducted and the phone signal in the area was temporarily shut down.
Two suspects were arrested, said the police.
It hasn't been established whether the security meeting was the intended target. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.
