A bomb has exploded in a Bangkok hospital administered by the Royal Thai Army. It remains unclear whether the bombing was timed intentionally to coincide with the third anniversary of the 2014 coup.
On 22 May 2017, Lt Gen. Sansern Kaewkamnerd, spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office, confirmed that a bomb exploded at Phramongkutklao Hospital late that morning. The blast took place in a room on the hospital’s first floor where prescriptions are distributed.
It remains unclear whether the timing of the bomb was intended as a protest on the third anniversary of the junta’s coup.
The bomb was the second this month in Bangkok. The first occurred outside the National Theatre a week earlier. Another bomb went off near the old Government Lottery Office last month.
An initial inspection of the site found remnants of a bomb in the form of a circuit board and a screw. Nobody has claimed responsibility and the authorities have been unable to discern the origin or type of bomb. The junta has ordered a more detailed inspection of the site.
The NCPO has convened an emergency meeting of relevant security agencies for this evening.
25 people sustained minor injuries from the blast. 13 are military personnel and one is a police officer. The majority of those injured were retired officers and senior citizens waiting for prescriptions.
Phramongkutklao Hospital is a public hospital administered by the Royal Thai Army. Apart from providing medical services for military personnel and civilians, it is also a teaching hospital for military medical students.
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