BANGKOK — An explosion that wounded five soldiers inside an army barrack in Bangkok this morning was an "accident," a spokesperson for the Royal Thai Army confirmed.

The blast was heard from the headquarters of the Ordnance Corps in Bangkok's Bang Sue district at around 10 am today.

According to Col. Sirichan Nga-thong, the explosion occurred while soldiers were attempting to repair a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) inside a workshop building.

The RPG that exploded during a repair effort at the headquarters of the Ordnance Corps in Bangkok, 9 Feb 2015.

Four soldiers were slightly injured by the blast and one suffered a wound to the head, Col. Sirichan said.

"Let me stress that the accident took place inside a military installation. No outside person was affected," she told reporters, adding that all wounded victims are expected to leave hospital in two days. 

Meanwhile, Lt.Gen. Tharee Wutthipanich, commander of the Ordnance Corps, said the repair work was a routine task undertaken by soldiers in the unit. "It has nothing to do with any political protest," he said.

In the hours between the blasts and the military’s press conference at noon, there was some speculation that the explosion was connected to a recent bombing attack at Siam Paragon shopping mall on 1 February. 

BANGKOK — The parents of the wife of Thailand's Crown Prince, who resigned from the Royal Family last December, denied charges of lese majeste today in their first public appearance since their family was stripped of their royal surname last year.

Last week, a woman in Ratchaburi province accused Apiruj and Wantanee Suwadee, the parents of former princess Srirasmi, of using their royal connections to bully her in 2003. According to the charges, the pair used their royal influence to have the woman, Sawita Maneechan, jailed for 18 months on a bogus fraud conviction.

In addition to defaming the monarchy, which is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, Srirasmi's parents have been charged with facilitating the filing of false police reports that led to criminal charges.

Apiruj and Wantanee Suwadee at the Crime Suppression Division headquarters in Bangkok, 9 Feb 2015.

Both Apiruj and Wantanee denied the allegations this morning at a meeting with police officers at the Crime Suppression Division headquarters in Bangkok.

"I don't know what to say," Wantanee said. "I never knew [Sawita]. I don’t know who is who in her family. Please give us some fairness. We never knew anything about it. We never intended to bully anyone. You can make me swear oath on anything, I will do it."

According to the defendant, Wanatee arranged the lawsuit as punishment for Sawita's alleged affair with Apiruj, which Sawita denies.

The lese majeste accusations follow former Princess Srirasmi’s resignation from the Royal Family in December 2014 after several of her other relatives, including her brother and sister, were arrested on charges of lese majeste and running massive crime ring. At least 27 arrest warrants have been issued to people in connection with the criminal network, which included several high-ranking police officers. 

Speculation about the scandal, one of the biggest to rock the Thai police force and palace in recent years, reached a fever pitch after Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn stripped Srirasmi's entire family of the royally-bestowed surname Akharaphongpreecha, forcing them to revert back to their "commoner" surname, Suwadee, on 30 November. Srirasmi's resignation from the Royal Family followed a few weeks later. 

Today's meeting at the police headquarters was the first time Srirasmi's parents have appeared in public as commoners since the scandal broke out last year.

Asked to comment on the allegations, Wantanee said she has never flaunted her daughter’s connection to the Crown Prince.

"We lived as commoners," Wanatee said. "We never required any visitors to our residence to kowtow or crawl on their knees. We greeted them normally. There's no hierarchy. We are all equals. We treated them with dignity."

She continued, "There's nothing else we can lose in this life, because we have lost everything already. Don't pile more troubles on us, please. What else do you want from us? We have no more tears to cry these days. Please show us some sympathy and compassion. We never intended to insult the monarchy. We love every member of the Royal Family. No matter what happened, we still love and revere them to this day."

Pol.Maj.Gen. Thitirat Nongharnpitak said police will proceed carefully with the "sensitive" case, but stressed that the criminal investigation has to go ahead in accordance with the law.

"As far as our initial investigation concerns, there are some facts and evidence to this case," Pol.Maj.Gen. Thitirat said. "But we will also respect the rights of the accused, because it is a sensitive case. Society is watching. Let me stress that everything will be according with evidence."

After announcing her resignation, former Princess Srirasmi moved out of the Crown Prince's palace in Bangkok to live with her parents in Ratchaburi. She has not been seen in public since 13 December, when she applied for a new national ID card as a commoner. 

It is unclear whether Srirasmi and the Crown Prince are formally divorced. The couple married in 2001 and have one 9-year-old son. 

BANGKOK – The Thai government is preparing its annual campaign to monitor nightclubs and hotels on Valentine’s Day to prevent incidents of rape or other illegal activities.

Apinan Suethanuwong, deputy secretary of the Ministry of Interior Affairs, said state agencies in "every province" have been ordered to ensure that clubs and hotels strictly follow regulations on the holiday. 

"Owners of entertainment venues and hotels like to organize events or activities that attract members of the public to use their services," Apinan said yesterday. "So there is a risk of crimes, sexual problems, and other accidents."

Valentine’s Day has become a widely-celebrated holiday in Thailand in recent decades. According to a report compiled by Kasikorn Bank, spending around the holiday last year amounted to 1.5 billion baht.

However, authorities in Thailand – a socially-conservative country despite its free-wheeling sex industry – have frowned upon the holiday, as it is perceived to encourage premarital sex. Every year, police raid motels on 14 February to prevent couples under the age of 18 from engaging in "inappropriate activities."

According to a poll conducted by Baan Somdej University in 2012, 35 percent of Bangkokians under the age of 18 have had sex. 

Apinan, the Ministry of Interior Affairs official, said nightclubs have been ordered to bar any underage customers and prevent drug use on their premises. Hotel owners have also been instructed to keep an eye out for any young people that appear to be "lured, coerced, or drugged" by their partners, Apinan said.

"If there is any suspicion that an illegal action may be committed, the staff should immediately inform authorities or the police in their area," said Apinan.

He added that hotel owners will also be required to personally approve anyone under the age of 18 who attempts to check in without a guardian.

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BANGKOK — The Bangkok Metropolitan Police force is a offering a 100,000 baht reward to anyone who can provide information that leads to an arrest of suspects behind the twin bombings in central Bangkok last Sunday.

The homemade pipe bombs went off at around 8.10 pm of 1 February on the walkway that connects Siam Paragon, one of the largest shopping malls in Thailand, and Siam skytrain station, the largest and busiest BTS station in the city. One person was reported injured by the blast. 

Police say CCTV footage shows two suspects planting the bombs and leaving the scene prior to the blast, but their faces are concealed by baseball caps. The arrest warrants, issued by the court on 4 February, describe them simply as "unidentified Thai men."

"If police can use [the information] as clues for their arrests, we will give the reward right away," Pol.Maj.Gen. Chitti said yesterday, adding that citizens can report tips to the police by dialing 08-1817-1617. 

Pol.Gen. Somyot Pumpanmuang, chief of the Royal Thai Police, also denied media reports that suspects had already been arrested.

According to Pol.Gen. Somyot, police merely summoned individuals "whom the police believed to have information or evidence that would benefit our investigation to give their testimony as information givers."

"Six to seven" people have been summoned for their testimony so far, a police officer told Khaosod. 

Police have yet to determine a motive behind the attack, which they say was launched as an act of harassment, and not designed to injure or kill. 

There has been widespread speculation on social media about whether a political group was behind bombing, which occurred in the heart of Bangkok's financial center and while the country 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 following the sporadic violence that characterized the six months of anti-government protests prior to the coup.

Underground militants believed to be affiliated with both Thailand's Redshirt and Yellowshirt factions launched grenade and shooting attacks on rival groups during the protests. Most of the 28 fatalities were protesters killed by shadowy assailants who attacked rally sites. 

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BANGKOK — Thailand’s military junta has reportedly barred former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from the leaving the country.

Several Thai newspapers, including Matichon, have quoted an “unnamed” source as saying that the junta, formally known as the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), has denied Yingluck’s request to travel to Hong Kong.

NCPO chairman and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha refused to comment on the report while he was leaving for a state visit to Japan this morning.

"Go read the newspapers," Gen. Prayuth told reporters at Don Mueang Airport. "Read what they say."

Yingluck was retroactively impeached on 23 January by the junta-appointed National Legislative Assembly, which voted overwhelmingly to ban her from politics for five years for allegedly failing to stop corruption in her administration’s rice-pledging policy.

The impeachment was the latest in a series of legal punishments handed down to Yingluck and her government. In May 2014, she was ousted from her office by a court ruling, and a few weeks later, the remnants of her government were overthrown in the military coup led by Gen. Prayuth, who was army chief at the time. 

On the day that Yingluck was impeached, the Attorney-General also announced plans to pursue criminal charges against her in connection with the rice policy corruption. If found guilty, she could face up to 10 years in prison.

Yingluck was believed to be planning a trip to Hong Kong to meet her brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Although Thaksin was deposed in a military coup in 2006 and has lived in self-imposed exile since 2008, he has retained significant influence over Thai politics and is considered the de facto leader of the Redshirt movement. 

Yingluck was permitted to travel abroad last October, when she and her son met up with Thaksin in China and Japan. After several outlets featured photos of the siblings on their trip, Gen. Prayuthasked the media to stop publishing news about Thaksin.

"Don't publish photos of people who violate the law," Gen. Prayuth said at the time. "Why are you still featuring news [about him?]"

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