Press Trust of India
Bangkok, August 20: Thailand today said it will hold religious rites from five different faiths, including Hinduism and Sikhism, in memory of the 20 people who were killed in the devastating bombing at the popular Lord Brahma temple here. Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will hold Buddhist, Christian, Islamic, Sikh and Hindu rites at the Ratchaprasong Intersection where the open air shrine is located early tomorrow, said Supranee Satayaprakorb, director of the BMA’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Department. Meanwhile, repairs to Brahma statue which was slightly damaged in Monday’s bomb blast will begin soon.
Department inspectors from the Office of the Traditional Arts examined the damage to the shrine and statue this week and estimated repairs would take about two weeks. The explosion that killed 20 people and wounded 123 caused minor damage to the Brahma statute, said Bovornvet Rungrujee, director-general Fine Arts Department. The inspection has found the blast impacted the figure in 12 places. Only the chin was broken and a glass window at the shrine was damaged, Rungrujee said.
It is not necessary to move the statue from the shrine. Craftsmen will start repairs on Monday, he added. Plaster will be used to patch the statue’s face and other damaged parts. Brahma temple, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Bangkok, was reopened yesterday for worshipers and tourists three days after the blast rocked the shrine Meanwhile, Thailand Thursday said over 10 people were involved in carefully plotting the deadly attack at the Brahma temple here while ruling out involvement of global terror groups.
Two suspects surrender
Bangkok: Two men identified as suspects in the deadly bombing of a shrine in Thailand’s capital Bangkok on Thursday surrendered to the police, insisting they are tour guides, authorities have said. The pair were seen in security camera footage shortly before the blast took place on Monday evening when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off near the Brahma statue at the Erawan Shrine at the Ratchaprasong intersection in central Bangkok, killing 20 people and injuring 125 others, BBC reported. The men, in red and white T-shirts, rose from a bench shortly before the main suspect, in yellow, sat down and left behind his backpack. Officers are now questioning the pair. Earlier in the day, police said that at least 10 people might have been involved in the attack and were likely to be linked to an international terrorist network.
