On 24 February 2012, in response to media enquiries about the United Nations Security Council press statement issued on attacks against Israeli diplomatic personnel, Mr. Thani Thongphakdi, Director-General of the Department of Information and Foreign Ministry Spokesman, made the following comments:
1. Like other members of the international community, Thailand condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, whenever and wherever it takes place. In this connection, Thailand has been actively working to combat terrorism within various fora, including the United Nations and ASEAN.
2. The Ministry has been informed by the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Thailand that, following verification of their nationalities by the authorities concerned in Tehran, it can be confirmed that the two suspects currently being detained in Thailand are of Iranian nationality. The Embassy reiterated, however, that the said suspects were not linked with the Iranian Government or organizations in Iran and that they had acted independently as individuals. As a consequence, the Embassy has sought consular access to the two suspects which the Ministry is currently coordinating.
3. From police investigations thus far into the explosions incident on Sukhumvit Soi 71 on 14 February 2012, no linkage has yet been found between this incident and those that recently took place in India and Georgia. Investigations are still on-going and should new evidence emerge, further announcements will be made based upon the facts gathered.
4. As for the extradition request for the suspect currently being detained in Malaysia, the official request has already been conveyed to the Malaysian authorities concerned through diplomatic channels on 23 February 2012 through the Royal Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
5. All parties concerned should therefore rest assured that the investigations by the Thai agencies concerned into the said incident will be conducted professionally and thoroughly with respect for the due process of law. In addition, it is hoped that all the parties concerned will respect Thailand’s sovereignty and not undertake any activities in the Kingdom that may affect the country’s national security or use Thailand as a base to undertake activities targeting other countries, their nationals or interests
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th