Envoys pay respects to victims

Envoys pay respects to victims

US Embassy charge d'affaires W Patrick Murphy went to the Erawan Shrine to place flowers and show respect to the 20 people who lost their lives in Monday's bomb attack. (Photo by Patipat Janthong)
US Embassy charge d'affaires W Patrick Murphy went to the Erawan Shrine to place flowers and show respect to the 20 people who lost their lives in Monday's bomb attack. (Photo by Patipat Janthong)

Diplomatic envoys paid their respects Wednesday at the Erawan shrine to the victims of Monday's bomb blast, as countries unilaterally condemned the attack which left 20 dead and injured 125 others. 

The US charge d'affaires, W Patrick Murphy, led US embassy staff on Wednesday to place flowers at the shrine as a sign of sympathy for those who lost their lives or were injured in the attack.

"The US government and American people express our deepest and fullest sympathy and condolences to Thailand and all Thai people. We strongly condemn the kind of violence that took place here," said Mr Murphy, calling the incident an "unspeakable tragedy".

"We [my family and I] live very close to the Erawan shrine and on Monday night we heard and felt the explosion. We feel great sorrow and pain in our hearts for those who have suffered from the incident.

"We are truly inspired by the solidarity of Thais and their spirit to stay together to overcome this incident," he said, adding the US stands ready to aid in the investigation but the Thai government has yet to make any request.

In other reaction, the Chinese Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the Chinese government is grieving for the victims.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi called an emergency meeting with Thai authorities after the blast to find out the condition of the Chinese victims and analyse the security situation.

Ms Hua urged the Thai government to take good care of the victims.

"China will remain in close contact with the Thai side, make the best arrangements for the dead and the injured, and take steps to ensure the safety and the interests of Chinese people and institutions in Thailand," she said.

In a similar expression of caution, the Vietnamese ambassador Nguyen Tat Thanh said tourists can visit the kingdom but should be cautious and seek out embassy updates throughout their trip.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen sent a letter to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in which he denounced the attack as inhuman.

"The Royal Government of Cambodia vehemently condemns this inhuman act which killed innocent people of Thailand and foreigners," Hun Sen said in the letter.

Gen Prayut thanked all the countries for their support, notably Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott who encouraged Australian tourists to continue to visit Thailand despite the bomb attack.

According to Gen Prayut, Malaysian premier Najib Razak also made a personal phone call to him to express his sorrow over the incident.

"I told the Malaysian premier that we are deeply sorry that Malaysians were killed in the bomb blast and he affirmed that Malaysian tourists still want to visit Thailand," Gen Prayut said.

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