Thai cops give selves $84,000 reward for terror arrest
After nailing a suspect and conducting 2 raids in Bangkok blast, police take prize for a job well done
Thai police have awarded themselves a 3 million baht, or $84,000, reward offered to the public for tips leading to the arrest of suspects in Bangkok’s deadly bombing after a man was arrested over the weekend in an apartment containing bomb-making equipment.
National police chief Somyot Poompanmoung said Monday that he was taking the unusual step of giving the reward to the police force both to motivate his officers and to show that Thailand’s police are good at their job.
“This money should be given to officials who did their job,” he said at a news conference as aides brought out stacks of 1,000 baht notes.
It wasn’t immediately clear how the money would be distributed to police officers.
On Saturday, police arrested a foreigner who they say was allegedly involved in the August 17 bombing at Bangkok’s Erawan Shrine that killed 20 people. The man was arrested at an apartment on the outskirts of Bangkok where police seized bomb-making materials. He is in military custody and has not yet been charged.
“This arrest, I confirm is due purely to the work of police,” Somyot said, denying news reports that police had acted on tips.
Since the bombing, police have faced criticism for their handling of the investigation and sending contradictory and confusing messages to the public.
More bomb-making materials were found in a second apartment during a separate raid in the nearby neighborhood of Min Buri.
Thai police said they are seeking two new suspects — a Thai woman and a foreign man of unknown nationality — in the widening investigation.
The police released a photo of the woman’s Thai identification card and a sketch of the man in a televised announcement Monday.
National police spokesman Prawuth Thavornsiri said Monday the apartment in Min Buri was rented by the Thai woman who is being sought. During the broadcast, police showed her ID picture in which she is wearing a black headscarf.
He said the man is believed to have lived in the apartment.
The August 17 bombing of the Erawan Shrine in central Bangkok left 20 people dead and more than 120 injured.
