A huge bomb explosion that ripped through a famous shrine in Bangkok left at least 22 people dead and more than 120 injured. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack that was unprecedented in nature in the history of Thailand. Speculations are rife about the perpetrators of the attack with no clue so far. The terror act has reminded the world that no place is safe and terrorists can hit anytime and anywhere to spread their nefarious agenda. The Thai security agencies have been working on multiple leads to find the real culprits. Among them one factor is the Muslim insurgents who are fighting for an independent state in the south of the country. Those areas are already notorious for the incidents of bombings by Islamist insurgents but they have never committed a terror act of such a magnitude outside their own area. The latest incident of bombing has left the Thai nation in utter distress as it is a new form of violence for them. The attack was aimed at destroying the economy of the country that suffered a big blow after the bombing.
The confrontation between political factions and the army-led regime cannot be ruled out for this heinous act. The conflict of ethnic Uighurs who, before this, Thailand sent back to China, can also be one of the factors that let loose hell on Bangkok. Thailand forcibly returned 109 Uighurs to China last month, who had fled unrest in China’s western Xinjiang region, where hundreds of people have been killed by the Islamists, prompting a crackdown by tChinese authorities. There is a strong possibility that resentment among the Uighurs against the Thai government led to this unusual attack in the heart of the capital.
Whoever carried it out, the attack is a reminder that no place is safe and the whole world is the target of terrorists. It is a very difficult situation as it is almost impossible to guard every place especially those where visitors come in large numbers. The deployment of troops to every venue is not possible. Only pre-emptive strikes can deter terrorists, who do not care for international boundaries while spreading violence. Security agencies need to conduct intelligence-led operations against the perpetrators of violence before they come into action. In order to stop terrorists, a sensible approach as well as unity at the international level is required. All countries need to get united against the terrorists. There is a need to form an international alliance against all those terror mongers and extremist organisations like the Islamic State and the Taliban that pose a threat to world peace.*