26 Jul 2010

Bomb in Bangkok kills one, wounds 10

5:52 pm on 26 July 2010

A bomb has exploded in Thailand's capital, Bangkok, killing one person and wounding at least 10 others, as the city voted in a crucial by-election.

The bomb was hidden in a bin in the heart of the commercial district, an area occupied by thousands of "red shirt" anti-government protesters for several weeks until an army crackdown in May.

The by-election, seen as a referendum on the recent political unrest, was won by the ruling Democrats over an opposition candidate who has been in jail since May charged with encouraging violence.

However, a political scientist says the district often votes differently from the rest of Bangkok and the result is no indication the Democrats are going to win the next general election.

The bomb was the first first deadly attack in Bangkok since troops and protesters clashed in April and May. At least 89 people were killed and 1400 wounded in the worst political violence in modern Thai history.