At least 12 people have died after a bomb attack in central Bangkok near a Hindu shrine popular with tourists, reports say. Initial accounts indicate the bomb was possibly attached to a motorcycle or electric pole.
Surveillance video of the explosion, via Mashable:
The aftermath:
Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack and officials have not identified any specific suspects. Slate’s Josh Keating wrote recently that while large-scale political violence is relatively rare in Thailand, the country is nonetheless “sharply polarized,” with power exchanged in frequent coups. (Thailand, at least ostensibly, is a constitutional monarchy.)
The large majority of Thai citizens are Buddhists, though Hindu imagery and influences are apparently ubiquitous; the BBC says the Hindu shrine near the explosion is “visited by thousands of Buddhists each day.”
