BANGKOK – Thailand’s military leader has ordered police to determine whether anti-government elements were behind the double bombing outside of a high-end shopping mall in Bangkok last night.

Junta chairman and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said at a press conference today that it is still too early to say whether the attack was politically-motivated, but that police are investigating people who are "opposed to the operations of the government."

Damage caused by two IEDs in front of Siam Paragon on 1 Feb 2015.

"We have to look at people who have spoken about using violence [recently]. We have to investigate whether there is any connection," Gen. Prayuth said. "I have instructed police to investigate this matter also, the people who said something about violence or opposing the operations of the government."

He continued, "This kind of matter is not about politics. It's about breaking the laws. Even though there may be difference in political opinion, violence is unacceptable, because it violates the laws. Everyone has to understand that politics and breaking the laws are separate. Don't give credit to people who break the laws."

Two homemade explosives went off on the walkway that connectsSiam skytrain station and Siam Paragon shopping mall, one of the largest shopping complexes in Bangkok, at 8:10 pm last night. One person was slightly injured by the blast.

Police initially reported that the explosions were caused by a malfunctioning electric transformer, but later clarified that two IEDs placed behind the tranformer were responsible for the blasts. 

The incident has drawn heavy attention, as the double bombing took place in the heart of Bangkok's financial center and while the nation remains under martial law. 

Since seizing power on 22 May 2014, the ruling military junta has touted martial law as a necessary means to restore peace and order and end the series of grenade attacks and shootings that occured during the six months of anti-government protests that preceded the coup. 

Asked whether he believes the double bombing was intended to damage the credibility of the government, Gen. Prayuth retorted, "Everyone knows the answer to that question. Otherwise they would have done it in a jungle. Why the hell are you asking this?"

In response to a question about whether martial law needs to be extended because of the bombing, the general said, "I have already said that there are many laws we can use. It's a danger to people who break the laws."

Yesterday before the bombing, Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan, a member of the junta and Minister of Defense, suggested that Gen. Prayuth may repeal martial law and instead resort to Article 44 of the interim charter, which allows the junta to intervene in the administration of the country in matters related to "national security."

Instead of throwing a juvenile temper tantrum, the Thai military should comply with the United States government's calls for lifting martial law and returning to democratic rule immediately.

In a speech given to a crowd at Chulalongkorn University this week, Daniel Russel, the US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, aptly observed that Thailand’s military government has imposed "significant restraints on freedom" since it seized power in a coup d’etat on 22 May 2014.

Russel, the highest-level US official to visit Thailand since the coup, went on to advocate for the repeal of martial law and all restrictions on civil liberties in Thailand.

"Ending martial law throughout the country and removing restrictions of speech and assembly – these would be important steps as part of a generally inclusive reform process that reflects the broad diversity of views within the country," Russel said. 

Russel's reasoned, diplomatic, and politely-delivered remark has caused an uproar among Thai junta leaders and their supporters, who have angrily accused the US diplomat of acting "inappropriately, " "violating diplomatic protocols" and "interfering in Thai politics." 

However, it is Thai officials who have acted inappropriately by publicly lambasting Russel one after another, and repeatedlymisrepresenting his speech (which largely focused on uncontroversial aspects of the two countries' historic alliance). Pro-coup Thais have also turned rabid with their anti-American sentiment, spamming the US Embassy’s Facebook page, announcing the return of the “Ugly American” in newspaper op-eds, and even supporting ISIS threats of beheading US President Barack Obama on social media. 

The junta and its supporters insist that the US government does not understand Thailand’s political situation. However, the US is hardly alone in its assessment of the deteriorating human rights climate in Thailand that has followed the 22 May coup.

This week, the independent watchdog Freedom House downgradedThailand from a "Partly Free" to "Not Free" country in its annual assessment of political rights and civil liberties around the globe. On the same day, Human Rights Watch report described the Thai junta as sending Thailand’s human rights situation "into free fall."

It is true that the US government's rhetoric of promoting democracy and liberty around world is often fraught with hypocrisy; for instance, the excess of military power over Thailand can be traced to US’s financial aid during the Cold War.

However, the Thai military cannot have it both ways. Junta chairman and PM Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha cannot proclaim his "democratic heart" and commitment to restoring democracy in Thailand, while also denouncing Russel's call for the restoration of civil liberties, a founding principle of any democratic society. 

The reaction to Russel’s sound counsel is disturbing in that it illustrates just how little the Thai junta – who is responsible for shaping Thailand’s next constitution and political system – understands the basic building blocks of democracy.

The Thai government should heed the US’s friendly advice, and it should also learn how to distinguish a mountain from a molehill. The embarrassing racket that has followed Russel’s remarks suggests that, at the very least, the junta would do well to develop some thicker skin.

BANGKOK (DPA) – As a plastic surgeon at Bangkok's Yanhee Hospital, Greechart Pornsinsirirak performs around 180 sex change operations a year. Over his career, the doctor has transformed thousands of men into women.

A former patient recently told him she has had five boyfriends since her operation and "none of them knew she was a man," says Greechart, with barely concealed pride.

Thailand has long been considered one of the world's leading destinations for gender reassignment surgery, largely due to its low-cost, high-quality medical care and its general open-mindedness about gender roles.

In addition to Yanhee, five other major hospitals and clinics in Thailand, along with dozens of smaller specialty clinics, offer male-to-female sex change surgery.

Pornnaphat Choochart, 38, in Bangkok, Thailand, 4 December 2014. Photo: Bill Bredesen/dpa

"This is a ladyboy paradise," says Pornnaphat Choochart, 38, a Thai transgender female who underwent the procedure 10 years ago.

Thai society widely acknowledges the idea of a third gender, known as "kathoey." Although the group has struggled for legal recognition – transgender females are still identified as "mister" in their passports, for instance – the government is considering granting them formal distinction under the country's next constitution.

"I always believed I was a girl born into the wrong body," Pornnaphat says. "My relatives all treated me as a girl."

Thipnara Petrapitchanon, 29, a former contestant of Miss Tiffany Universe, the international transgender pageant held each year in the local resort of Pattaya, feels similar. She had the surgery in 2010.

"I am much more confident now," she says. "I can wear a bikini with confidence, and when I look in the mirror I see a woman. Socially, people also treat me like a woman now."

Before being eligible for gender reassignment surgery in Thailand, patients must prove that they have been "living as a woman" for at least one year, Greechart says, including dressing like a woman and taking female replacement hormones.

Foreign patients also need to have a psychological evaluation in their home country, followed by two more evaluations by psychologists in Thailand, the surgeon says.

More than 80 per cent of Yanhee's sex change patients come from overseas, mostly from Korea, Japan and Taiwan, but also from Western countries, with demand among foreign patients rising sharply in recent years, Greechart says.

A male-to-female sex change operation at Yanhee – one of Thailand's best-known cosmetic surgery hospitals, where document runners glide through the hallways on roller skates – costs between 240,000 and 320,000 baht (around 7,300 to 10,000 dollars), depending on the surgical method used.

Smaller, less reputable clinics might charge as little as 45,000 baht (1,400 dollars). By comparison, sex change surgery in the United States usually costs more than 20,000 dollars.

Patients are typically bedridden for one week following surgery, and then remain in the hospital for a second week for monitoring.

Advanced skin grafting techniques used in Thailand and elsewhere allow patients to retain a high degree of physical sensation, and aesthetically, the "final product" appears natural.

"There's an art to it," Greechart says. "It looks like a real woman."

And perhaps of equal importance to many patients, the ability to achieve orgasm is not lost through the operation.

The actual procedure takes between three and eight hours, depending on whether the doctor performs a simple skin graft, or whether a more complicated colon graft is required, using part of the large intestine. The prostate is not removed.

Greechart says he regularly receives inquiries from patients who experienced "bad surgery" at other clinics, and who hope a more skilled doctor can correct it.

"Sex changes are not all the same," he says. "A lot are very bad."

Sitting in his hospital office, Greechart clicks through images of botched operations on his computer screen and describes them: "A urethra but nothing else … infections … scarring … any of these people are very sad. We can fix it, but it won't be like normal. I always prefer to do it the first time."

Hospitals that perform gender reassignment surgery also offer a host of related procedures, such as breast implants, voice-change surgery and laser hair removal, among others.

Female-to-male gender reassignment is possible, although much less common, and requires multiple procedures over many months.

Thanyasa Tajinda, 32, the managing director of a transgender performing artist and modeling agency, says she has dreamed of having gender reassignment surgery for years but that her family was not initially supportive. They have now given their consent, she says.

"I plan to do it, 100 per cent," she says. "I just need to find the time. I'm not afraid at all."

She is confident that her reaction will be similar to others who have undergone the transition.

"After I opened my eyes in the recovery room, I felt a bit cold, but I thought, 'I'm a new person now,'" recalls Pornnaphat. "And I was very happy."

BANGKOK (DPA) – As a plastic surgeon at Bangkok's Yanhee Hospital, Greechart Pornsinsirirak performs around 180 sex change operations a year. Over his career, the doctor has transformed thousands of men into women.

A former patient recently told him she has had five boyfriends since her operation and "none of them knew she was a man," says Greechart, with barely concealed pride.

Thailand has long been considered one of the world's leading destinations for gender reassignment surgery, largely due to its low-cost, high-quality medical care and its general open-mindedness about gender roles.

In addition to Yanhee, five other major hospitals and clinics in Thailand, along with dozens of smaller specialty clinics, offer male-to-female sex change surgery.

Pornnaphat Choochart, 38, in Bangkok, Thailand, 4 December 2014. Photo: Bill Bredesen/dpa

"This is a ladyboy paradise," says Pornnaphat Choochart, 38, a Thai transgender female who underwent the procedure 10 years ago.

Thai society widely acknowledges the idea of a third gender, known as "kathoey." Although the group has struggled for legal recognition – transgender females are still identified as "mister" in their passports, for instance – the government is considering granting them formal distinction under the country's next constitution.

"I always believed I was a girl born into the wrong body," Pornnaphat says. "My relatives all treated me as a girl."

Thipnara Petrapitchanon, 29, a former contestant of Miss Tiffany Universe, the international transgender pageant held each year in the local resort of Pattaya, feels similar. She had the surgery in 2010.

"I am much more confident now," she says. "I can wear a bikini with confidence, and when I look in the mirror I see a woman. Socially, people also treat me like a woman now."

Before being eligible for gender reassignment surgery in Thailand, patients must prove that they have been "living as a woman" for at least one year, Greechart says, including dressing like a woman and taking female replacement hormones.

Foreign patients also need to have a psychological evaluation in their home country, followed by two more evaluations by psychologists in Thailand, the surgeon says.

More than 80 per cent of Yanhee's sex change patients come from overseas, mostly from Korea, Japan and Taiwan, but also from Western countries, with demand among foreign patients rising sharply in recent years, Greechart says.

A male-to-female sex change operation at Yanhee – one of Thailand's best-known cosmetic surgery hospitals, where document runners glide through the hallways on roller skates – costs between 240,000 and 320,000 baht (around 7,300 to 10,000 dollars), depending on the surgical method used.

Smaller, less reputable clinics might charge as little as 45,000 baht (1,400 dollars). By comparison, sex change surgery in the United States usually costs more than 20,000 dollars.

Patients are typically bedridden for one week following surgery, and then remain in the hospital for a second week for monitoring.

Advanced skin grafting techniques used in Thailand and elsewhere allow patients to retain a high degree of physical sensation, and aesthetically, the "final product" appears natural.

"There's an art to it," Greechart says. "It looks like a real woman."

And perhaps of equal importance to many patients, the ability to achieve orgasm is not lost through the operation.

The actual procedure takes between three and eight hours, depending on whether the doctor performs a simple skin graft, or whether a more complicated colon graft is required, using part of the large intestine. The prostate is not removed.

Greechart says he regularly receives inquiries from patients who experienced "bad surgery" at other clinics, and who hope a more skilled doctor can correct it.

"Sex changes are not all the same," he says. "A lot are very bad."

Sitting in his hospital office, Greechart clicks through images of botched operations on his computer screen and describes them: "A urethra but nothing else … infections … scarring … any of these people are very sad. We can fix it, but it won't be like normal. I always prefer to do it the first time."

Hospitals that perform gender reassignment surgery also offer a host of related procedures, such as breast implants, voice-change surgery and laser hair removal, among others.

Female-to-male gender reassignment is possible, although much less common, and requires multiple procedures over many months.

Thanyasa Tajinda, 32, the managing director of a transgender performing artist and modeling agency, says she has dreamed of having gender reassignment surgery for years but that her family was not initially supportive. They have now given their consent, she says.

"I plan to do it, 100 per cent," she says. "I just need to find the time. I'm not afraid at all."

She is confident that her reaction will be similar to others who have undergone the transition.

"After I opened my eyes in the recovery room, I felt a bit cold, but I thought, 'I'm a new person now,'" recalls Pornnaphat. "And I was very happy."