PUBLISHED : Thursday, 20 August, 2015, 6:34pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 20 August, 2015, 7:36pm
Thai police release images of the prime suspect in the Bangkok bombing approaching the Erawan Shrine on Monday. Photo: AP
A spokeswoman for the Chinese embassy in Bangkok told the Post today that local media reports pointing to the Thai government’s deportation of Uygurs to China as a possible reason for Monday's bombing were “hugely irresponsible”.
The spokeswoman also revealed that the Chinese ambassador was not in Bangkok at the time of the blast and had not been in the city since early in the month.
WATCH: Thai police release drawing of suspect in Bangkok shrine bombing
“Don’t you think it is hugely irresponsible for anyone to draw a conclusion without any evidence?” the spokeswoman said.
“The Thai authorities are still investigating. No one should jump to such a conclusion at this stage. It is just plain irresponsible.”
Asked if the ambassador would address the media, she said: “Now the ambassador is still in Beijing on a regular duty visit and will be on leave after that. He left in early August before the blast. This has absolutely nothing to do with what happened [the explosion]."
Asked if plans had been made to shorten his trip to Beijing or leave of absence to allow him to return to Bangkok to deal with the aftermath of the bombing, she said: “There are no such plans yet. The ambassador is expected to be back in early September.”
Thais and foreign tourists at the Erawan Shrine today after it reopened to the public yesterday. Photo: EPAOn the latest situation regarding Chinese nationals caught up in the bombing, the spokeswoman said the embassy was aware that five mainlanders and two Hong Kong residents were killed, and that 19 people from the mainland had been injured along with five from Hong Kong.
Asked if the embassy had been asked to provide or had provided any assistance to two Taiwanese tourists injured in the blast, the spokeswoman only reiterated that the embassy had been in close contact with Hong Kong's Immigration Department.
Responding to a question about why the embassy's helpline had been unavailable throughout yesterday and most of today, the spokeswoman said the embassy had been “overwhelmed” by the number of calls since the blast.
http://m.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/1851159/chinese-embassy-bangkok-says-reports-uygur-deportations
