Press coverage of the Bangkok bombings is available here, here, here, here and here. As usual, Bangkok Pundit has a very detailed wrap up of events, with numerous links to other sources. New Mandala will be following this sad development with interest. Hopefully further details and some informed commentary will emerge over the next few days. In the interim some restraint is appropriate before rushing to attribute blame based on pre-established political positions.

UPDATE: I suppose restraint would be too much to expect from the military junta. According to The Nation (thanks Patiwat) members of the Council for National Security are already linking the bombings to Thaksin and using this as a pretext to call for the seizure of his assets:

A security source said the Council for National Security may order the seizure of assets of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to cut money supply for financing disturbance in the country. The source said the CNS believed Thaksin was behind the series of seven bomb attacks in Bangkok Sunday evening.

This despite the fact that intelligence agencies have been unwilling to identify any culprits. I am not going to lose any sleep about Thaksin’s assets, but this is clearly part of a pernicious campaign whereby political leaders and members of a legitimate political party are labelled as subversive and as acting contrary to some vaguely defined national interest. The ongoing campaign against the so-called “undercurrents” – involving increasingly hysterical vilification – is a blatant attempt to silence a legitimate political force.