25 November 2015
Two men have been charged by a military court in Thailand in connection with the bomb at the Erawan Shrine in August. The attack in Bangkok killed 20 people and injured more than 120.
Bilal Mohammed (also known as Adem Karadag) and Yusuf Mieraili are reported to be Chinese nationals from the Muslim Uighur minority. Thai authorities say both men confessed to their involvement in the attack. The two suspects have been indicted on numerous charges, including murder, but not terrorism. Thai police still have warrants out for a total of 17 people in connection with the bombing.
The Uighurs are a Turkic-speaking Muslim minority in the far west of China. Uighurs have close cultural and religious ties with Turkish Muslims and have complained about religious and cultural persecution from the authorities in Beijing. In July, Thailand deported 109 asylum-seeking Uighurs to China. The decision was welcomed by China, but drew international criticism. In the wake of the Bangkok blast, Thai police speculated that the bombing was retaliation against Thailand for that decision.
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