A military court in Thailand has two men with carrying out a deadly August bombing at a Bangkok shrine that left 20 people dead and more than 120 injured. The two men - described as ethnic Uighurs from China's Muslim-majority Xinjiang region - were tried at a military court on an army base here.
The two were named as Bilal Mohammed, also known as Adem Karadag, and Mierali Yusufu. Both men were escorted to the military court yesterday morning in handcuffs.
The August attack at the Erawan shrine, nestled between plush shopping malls and hotels in a bustling district of central Bangkok, dealt a fresh blow to the nation's image as a holiday paradise.
Prosecutors later proposed Pol Lt Col Thuaythep Wiboonsilp, an inspector at the Foreign Affairs Division of the Royal Thai Police's Special Branch, as an interpreter for the suspects. The lawyer told the court he would submit the Uzbekistani interpreter's details within the next 15 days before the first hearing of testimonies.
Choochart Kanpai, Mr Karadag's lawyer, said the defendants neither accepted nor denied the charges due to a language barrier. He said Bilal does not understand English well.
The charges include premeditated murder, causing death and severe injuries by explosive devices, causing damage to the assets of others, possession of explosives without permission, carrying bombs into public places, colluding in carrying out bomb attacks, possession of war materials without permission and entering the country illegally.
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The suspects, whose seventh 12-day detention period at the 11th Military Circle facility has already expired, face 10 charges.
Mohammad and Yusufu have been held at an army base in Bangkok since their arrests in August and September.
Following the bombings, Bilal was arrested at a Nong Chok apartment in late August, while Mieraili was apprehended in the border province of Sa Kaew in September. Instead investigators say they believe a people-smuggling gang was angered by a crackdown on its business - a theory many analysts have questioned. Police have issued arrest warrants for 17 people over charges stemming from the Bangkok attack, but say many have fled worldwide.
Thailand authorities said Mohammed confessed to placing a backpack containing explosives at the shrine, and that Mieraili admitted to detonating the bomb. Larry is our main news editor.
