An explosion today at a popular shrine in central Bangkok has reportedly killed more than a dozen people. The blast was detonated at a busy downtown intersection where political demonstrations have taken place in recent years. The Erawan Shrine, a tourist landmark that is also popular with Bangkok’s residents, sits at that intersection, as does a five-star hotel.
Bangkok has been relatively peaceful for the past year, since a military coup ousted the country’s civilian government last May. Car bombs, which have been used in southern Thailand by a Muslim separatist insurgency, are nonetheless rare in Bangkok. From Chiang Rai, Thailand, NPR reporter Michael Sullivan joins Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson to discuss the bombing.
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