1989–2006 2007–present On 17 August 2015, a bombing took place inside the Erawan Shrine at the Ratchaprasong intersection in Pathum Wan District, Bangkok, Thailand,[2][3] killing 20 people and injuring 125.

[5] On 17 August 2015, at 18:55 ICT (11:55 UTC), a bomb exploded inside the grounds of the Erawan Shrine, near the busy Ratchaprasong Intersection in Bangkok's city centre.

[6][7][8] The Royal Thai Police said that 3 kilograms (6.6 lb) of TNT had been stuffed in a pipe bomb and left under a bench near the outer rim of the grounds surrounding the shrine, and that an electronic circuit suspected to have been used in the attack was found 30 metres (98 ft) from the scene.

The Thai government has at times suggested the bombers acted to avenge a crackdown on their human trafficking network, to take revenge for Thailand's deportation of a group of Uighurs back to China in July 2015, to strike a blow for the insurgents fighting the Thai government in the deep south, or for reasons related to Thailand's domestic politics.

[13] In a separate attack in Bangkok, an explosive device was thrown from a bridge near a boat pier shortly after 13:30 ICT on 18 August 2015, but it caused no injuries.

[14] In addition, citizens of Austria, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mali, the Maldives, Oman, the Philippines, Qatar, Singapore and Taiwan were among those injured.

[32] Some newspapers alleged that the man captured on security footage at the Erawan Shrine bomb attack was named by authorities as Mohamad Museyin, and that investigators are focusing their efforts on budget hotels in the Sathorn Road area of Bangkok where they believe the suspect stayed.

[34] Thailand's chief of police said the attack was carried out by a network and released a sketch of the "unidentified foreign man" who was identified in CCTV footage as being the bomber.

[37][42][43] The Turkish embassy in Bangkok denied that the bomb suspect arrested by Thai police and troops on Saturday was a citizen of Turkey.

However, on 31 August the authorities announced in a special broadcast that more bomb-making materials had been found and issued arrest warrants for 26-year-old Wanna Suansan, who is living in Turkey, and a foreign male named Jusuf.

Thai authorities state that the bombings were carried out by the Pan-Turkic Turkish ultra-nationalist organization Grey Wolves in retaliation for Thailand's deportation of Uyghur terrorist suspects back to China instead of allowing them to travel to Turkey for asylum.

A Chinese ethnic Uyghur man, Adem Karadağ, was arrested by the Thai police in connection with the bombing after fake Turkish passports[48] and bomb-making materials were found in his apartment.

Former National Intelligence Agency director-general Bhumarat Taksadipong believed it was carried out by a radical domestic political group and strongly opposed the accused Uyghur involvement.

[65] Mainstream reports cited the attack as a retaliation on Thailand's decision on deporting the Muslim Uyghur immigrants back to China.

[65] Thai expert on critical terrorism studies Kridikorn Wongsawangpanit criticised the government for confidently blaming the Uyghurs too early.

[75] Vorasakdi Mahatdhanobol, then Director of Chinese Studies Center at Chulalongkorn University denied this accusation as it was "a too simple decision" for the perpetuators which only "have negatively affected the Uyghurs".

[75] In a BBC News report, Thai political expert Pavin Chachavalpongpun claimed that the junta "could be taking advantage of this situation to assert its legitimacy and justify staying in power longer".

This was believed to be implying to either the Red Shirts political group associated with former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra,[64] or the South Thailand separatists.

Thai military junta leader Prayut Chan-o-cha called it the "worst-ever attack" on his country, saying, "there have been minor bombs or just noise, but this time they aim for innocent lives.

Twelve countries—Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United States—issued "Level 2" advisories urging citizens to take extra care during trips to the country.

Nine others—Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Ireland, New Zealand, Russia, and the United Kingdom—recommended a higher degree of caution, or "Level 3" warnings.