A 3 million baht, or $84,000 has been awarded by Thai police to themselves, which is a reward offered to the public for tips that had led to the arrest of Bangkok’s deadly bombing suspects, after a man was arrested in an apartment containing bomb-making equipment over the weekend.
On Monday, Somyot Poompanmoung National police chief said, “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”.
As aides brought out stacks of 1,000 baht notes, he said at the news conference, “This money should be given to officials who did their job”.
How the money would be distributed to police officers, wasn’t clear immediately.
A foreigner was arrested by the police on Saturday, who they say was allegedly involved in the Aug. 17 bombing at Bangkok’s Erawan Shrine where unfortunately 20 people were killed. Police seized bomb-making materials and arrested man at an apartment which is located on the outskirts of Bangkok. Military has taken him into their custody, but he is not yet charged.
By denying the news reports that police had acted on tips given by public Somyot said in his statement, “This arrest, I confirm is due purely to the work of police”.
Police have faced criticism since the bombing, for their handling of the investigation and sending confusing and contradictory messages to the public.
Thai police were seeking two new suspects — a foreign man whose nationality is unknown and a Thai woman for Bangkok’s deadly bombing two weeks ago. The Aug. 17 bombing of the Erawan Shrine in central Bangkok left more than 120 injured and 20 people dead.
On Monday, a photo of the woman’s Thai identification card and a sketch of the man has been released by the police in a televised announcement.
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