2006 Bangkok Bombings

The 2006 Bangkok bombings occurred on 31 December 2006 and 1 January 2007, during New Year's Eve festivities in Bangkok, Thailand. Four explosions went off almost simultaneously in different parts of the city at around 6:00 p.m. local time (1100 UTC), followed by several more explosions within the next 90 minutes. Two more explosions occurred after midnight. In total, eight explosions were reported during the night.

As of 1 January 2007, three people were confirmed dead and more than 38 injured. One additional bomb exploded inside a movie theater, but went unreported until the next day due to fears of negative publicity. The next morning, a bomb exploded in a mosque in Chiang Mai, the largest city in northern Thailand. Authorities ordered all public New Year's Eve events canceled, including the countdown at the CentralWorld shopping center and the alms-giving at Sanam Luang.

One man was arrested in Bangkok for carrying an explosive device and Chiang Mai police claimed that the Chiang Mai mosque's janitor confessed to making the bomb. Nobody claimed responsibility for the Bangkok bombings. Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont blamed the "old power clique" as the group responsible for the bombings, referring to the deposed government of Thaksin Shinawatra as well as all those who had lost political power due to the 2006 military coup. Both the Thai Rak Thai party and deposed Premier Thaksin Shinawatra denied involvement. Surayud later backtracked and admitted that his claim that Thaksin-allies were responsible "was just an intelligence analysis" and was based on no solid evidence or information.

The initials "IRK" were found written in marker in four places at three bomb sites. The IRK is an Afghanistan-trained urban guerrilla terrorism unit. Interior Minister Aree Wong-araya shrugged off suggestions that the culprits were Muslim terrorists. A meeting between Premier Surayud Chulanont and various security and intelligence agencies on the evening of 31 December failed to officially identify culprits for the attacks.

On 1 January, Surayud announced that although the bombs had similar designs to those used by insurgents in Thailand's Muslim-dominated Southern provinces, closer inspection indicated no link, as "I don't think they would come here as they could get lost in Bangkok." Police later arrested more than a dozen individuals, including military officers, suspected of being involved in the bombings. Junta-leader Sonthi Boonyaratglin claimed that all of the military officers were innocent. A police investigation later found that southern separatists were behind the bombings. Detonation circuits and other materials used to make the bombs were identical to those used in by insurgents. However, the junta downplayed the role of the southern insurgents, claiming that they were hired by people connected to the political turmoil in Bangkok.