BANGKOK — Police spokesman Lt. Gen. Prawuth Thawornsiri spoke just after 5pm today at a police news conference regarding the arrest of a suspect in connection with last month's bombing of the Erawan Shrine. Here’s a partial translation of his comments.
PT: We are checking his DNA and matching photos. We are confident he is a major suspect.
Q: Is he the yellow shirt man?
PT: We want witnesses to identify him first, and we need his DNA result first. He was trying to cross the country illegally, passing border without proper permit.
READ: Arrested Man 'Matches' Yellow-Shirted Bangkok Bomber
Q: Do you think he is the yellow shirt man?
PT: Please wait for witnesses to ID him first. But his face and appearance look very much like composite sketch.
Q: Has he been charged with anything now?
PT: He will charged with illegal entry into and departure from the Kingdom. Right now we don’t have his name. We don’t know his nationality. He has not been charged yet. He is being detained by the military under Article 44. At an army base.
Q: Was he arrested in Thailand?
PT: Yes. Thai side of the border. Near one of the natural borders.
Q: Did he have any evidence in his backpack?
PT: No evidence so far. But please give us some time [to investigate]. He was just landed around 4pm.
Q: Is his passport fake?
PT: I don’t know. I haven’t seen that. Let me inspect it first.
Q: Was he among the three new arrest warrants?
PT: He is not.
Q: How confident are you that he is the yellow shirt man?
PT: The time has been too short to say for certain. I want to be sure first before I say it. I don’t want to say it without being sure. But I can tell you he is a major suspect. We will have witnesses identify him, both before and after the bombing. We also have biological evidence.
Q: What language does he speak?
PT: We communicate with him in English. We are checking his nationality and language. We will also check his fingerprints and DNA with those found at crime scenes.
Q: So is his passport fake?
PT: We don’t have the passport. It’s just a photo that you shared on social media. We don’t have that.
Q: Is he connected to the other suspects in Min Buri and Nong Chok?
PT: He is, definitely. He is connected to the whole network. I am confident he is a major person in the network.
Q: Has Wanna said she’s willing to surrender?
PT: No she hasn’t contacted us directly. That’s through her family.
Q: How is Wanna related?
PT: She is the person who rented the second room. The one at Maimuna Apartment. Not at the other place. What’s it called again? Yes, Poon Anan. But the man who was in Wanna’s room also traveled between there and the room at Poon Anan. This network traveled to see each other.
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