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Friday, 16 March 2001 The Post More thoughts on Flight TG114 All things considered, it`s pretty amazing that Don Muang airport security is being stepped up as investigations into the March 3 bombing of Flight TG114 is not making much headway. And it is even more amazing that some officials have given up the hope of catching the people who masterminded the deadly bombing, which killed a Thai Airways steward and wounded seven other people. Writing in the mass-circulation Thai Rath yesterday, columnist Kilane Pralongcherng drew up hypotheses that may -- or may not -- provide an explanation for the bombing mystery. ``First, if we assume that the bomb was planted by saboteurs, who was their target?`` the columnist asked. It is easy to assume that the bomb was aimed at harming Prime Minister Thaksin, but why was it detonated 35 minutes before he was due to board the plane? In this sense, it is more likely that the bomb was meant to discredit a person or an organisation involved with activities at the airport, said Kilane. The columnist referred to earlier reports about a serious conflict arising from the removal of a company in charge of cargo handling at Don Muang during the previous government. The cargo business involves a huge sum of money, and those who lost out might have acted in revenge, he said. But this theory seems unlikely given the extent of damage caused by the bomb. ``There are many ways to revenge a defeat ... but not by destroying a two-billion-baht aircraft,`` said the columnist. So was Thaksin the target? If the answer is yes, then why was the bomb detonated 35 minutes before the prime minister was to board the plane? ``If we stick to the assassination theory, then we may assume that the ill-fated steward found the bomb and accidentally set it off,`` Kilane suggested. The columnist did not believe that a malfunctioned air-conditioner caused the explosion, saying it was nonsense to even think about it. Prime Minister Thaksin and police investigators would also suffer a loss of face because they had insisted that it was a bomb explosion. But dark clouds have silver linings. The destruction of the Boeing 737 has drawn public sympathy for Mr Thaksin, whose government got off to a rather sluggish start, Kilane said. ``Realising what life would be like without him, people have now begun to love him more,`` he added. * Songpol Kaopatumtip is the Editor of Sunday Perspective Section of the Bangkok Post. Email: songpolk@bangkokpost.co.th |
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| aus der Diskussion: | Waste or make money in Thailand |
| Autor (Datum des Eintrages): | BodyG (16.03.01 05:37:15) |
| Beitrag: | 546 von 611 (ID:3112617) |
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