Bangkok bombshell: Thai woman walks as Erawan Shrine case crumbles
A Thai court sent shockwaves throughout the capital of Bangkok after clearing Thai woman Wanna Suansan of charges related to the devastating 2015 Erawan Shrine bombing that claimed 20 lives and injured 120 others.
Wanna, a Thai national, was acquitted by Bangkok’s Southern Criminal Court today, November 7. The attack, which occurred in the heart of Bangkok, resulted in 20 fatalities and left 120 injured, primarily affecting Chinese tourists visiting the popular spiritual site.
Wanna was one of three arrested out of 17 suspects initially linked to the horrific attack. The two others, Yusufu Mieraili and Bilal Mohammad are ethnic Uyghurs from China, a Muslim minority group known to face severe repression. Both men are being tried separately and have been charged with multiple offences, including murder and illegal possession of explosives.
In stark contrast, the court found insufficient evidence to connect Wanna to the heinous crime, granting her freedom after years of legal limbo. Her acquittal has raised eyebrows and sparked conversation about the intricacies of the case and the potential motivations behind the bombing.
The initial allegations posited by Thai authorities suggested a complex motive. They claimed that the bombing was an act of vengeance orchestrated by a people-smuggling ring whose operations had been thwarted by a police crackdown.
This theory followed the unearthing of several abandoned camps along the Thai-Malaysian border earlier in 2015, which housed Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar and migrants from Bangladesh.
However, analysts have speculated on another angle: the possibility of Uyghur separatists retaliating against Thailand’s forcible repatriation of Uyghur refugees to China weeks before the bombing. The fact that the Erawan Shrine is a magnet for Chinese tourists added weight to this political narrative.
While the evidence against Mieraili and Bilal allegedly includes video footage, DNA traces, and other damning proof, the case against Wanna was built on more circumstantial grounds. Prosecutors had accused the 36 year old of renting an apartment where police reportedly discovered bomb-making materials. However, Wanna’s defence argued successfully that there was no proof she knew about or assisted in the bombing plot.
During the trial, the judge concluded that Wanna’s involvement could not be substantiated. There was no evidence of placing her at the scene, assisting the perpetrators, or even knowing them beyond potentially leasing the apartment in good faith, which she claimed was for acquaintances of her Turkish husband — himself another suspect, though not currently in custody.
Emerging from court, Wanna expressed immense relief.
“Today the court acquitted the charges. I’m very happy. I’d like to thank the court because I had been waiting for this day for seven years since I returned.”
Wanna spoke of the personal toll the accusations had taken.
“It’s like I didn’t get any justice, and it also damaged my family.”
Meanwhile, the trial of Mieraili and Bilal has been plagued with delays, largely due to difficulties in sourcing suitable interpreters. Both men, who have pleaded not guilty, allege they suffered torture during detention.
The trial, still in its witness examination phase, is set to resume in March.
Police assert that Mieraili was the bomb’s detonator, executing the attack moments after Bilal allegedly placed an explosive-laden backpack at the shrine. As legal proceedings continue, the quest for truth and justice in this complex case endures.
