Three suspects Malaysian police recently arrested were believed involved in the trafficking of Uighur people and their possible connection to the Bangkok bombings in August had not been established, police chief Somyot Pumpunmuang said on Wednesday.
Deputy police chief Chakthip Chaijinda was in Kuala Lumpur meeting Malaysian police to discuss information involving the three suspects, but initially they were linked only with possible trafficking of Urghur people, Pol Gen Somyot told a press conference.
The chief denied that his deputy was in Malaysia to seek the extradition of the three suspects, reportedly two men and one woman. He said Thai police had not even known what charges Malaysian police were pressing against the three people.
It was reported that Malaysian police arrested a Pakistani and two Malaysians on Monday in connection with the investigation into the Erawan shrine bombing at the Ratchaprasong intersection of Bangkok. The bomb explosion killed 20 people and injured 130 others on Aug 17.
Pol Gen Somyot on Wednesday denied he attributed the bombing to the Thai government's decision to expatriate 109 Uighur migrants back to China in July. He insisted the bombing was in retaliation to the government's suppression of human trafficking gangs involved in the long-standing smuggling of Uighur people through Thailand.
The deportation of illegal immigrants back to the land of their citizenship was in line with international practice and law, Pol Gen Somyot said.
In response to Turkish authorities' denials that prime bombing suspect Abudureheman Abudusataer, aka Ishan, had travelled from Bangladesh and entered Turkey, the police chief said the Ankara government would not have evidence of the suspect's arrival if he sneaked through an unofficial border crossing.
Winthai Suvaree, spokesman for the National Council for Peace and Order, also said on Wednesday that there was no confirmation that the three suspects arrested in Malaysia were connected to any bombing in Bangkok in August. He added that authorities had not yet ruled out any possible motive for the bomb explosions on Aug 17 and 18.
Upon his return to Bangkok, Pol Gen Chaktip said the three suspects were thought to have supported demonstrations in Malaysia.
Authorities were now checking to see whether they were involved in the Bangkok blasts or the escape of the bomber.
Thai police will go back to Malaysia again on Thursday to question the three suspects, he said.
