Prem Tinsulanonda - March 2006 Blast: Prem-Thaksin Antagonism

March 2006 Blast: Prem-Thaksin Antagonism

Amidst the tension between Thaksin and 'unconstitutional figure', on 9 March 2006, a small bomb exploded outside Prem's residence in Bangkok. Two people were slightly injured, including a passing British tourist. Police said the device had been hidden beneath a stone bench near to an unoccupied security booth at the entrance of the residence. The guards were inside the residence at the time. Three cars parked nearby were damaged by the blast. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra denied being involved in the attack. Prem's controversy with Thaksin's government was apparent from 2005, albeit he had never mentioned Thaksin. Prem, still influential with the armed forces, became a critic of Thaksin's interference in the promotion of the commanders. Armed forces officers, as public servants, should be free from political appointment. However, Thaksin named his first cousin, general Chaiyasith Shinawatra, as the chief of the army - a position he probably never would have held otherwise. Thaksin and his supporters immediately reacted against what they called an 'out of constitutional' individual (Prem) "meddling" in Thai politics.