JET BOMB TARGETED THAI LEADER, ADVISER SAYS

Premier Was To Board Shortly After Blast Killed Crew Member

BANGKOK, Thailand -- A bomb targeting Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
probably caused an explosion that destroyed a Thai Airways jetliner shortly
before it was to fly with the premier on board, a key security adviser said
Sunday.

"I would like to say this is not an accident," Police Gen. Prasarn Wongwai,
a security adviser to Thaksin, was reported as saying by Thai radio in the
northern city of Chiang Mai. "Looking at the wreckage, the source of
explosion came from where the prime minister was supposed to be seated."

Thaksin had been due to fly with 148 other passengers from Bangkok to the
northern city of Chiang Mai on a Thai Airways Boeing 737-400. One cabin
crew member died and seven airline staff members were injured in the
explosion Saturday, which occurred 35 minutes before the scheduled
departure from the domestic terminal. No passengers were hurt.

The jetliner was gutted in the ensuing fire. Investigators were sifting
through the wreckage today but have yet to comment on the cause of the blast.

"I believe the bomb should be the white phosphorus type," Prasarn said. "I
already talked to the prime minister and he seems to have a clue who did
it. But he wouldn't want to talk too much because it might pressure the
investigation officials."

The Nation newspaper quoted a police source as saying that if a bomb was to
blame, it could be linked to Thaksin's pledge to crack down on drug
smuggling, largely blamed on drug lords in neighboring Myanmar, also known
as Burma.

Thaksin took power last month after his Thai Rak Thai, or Thai Love Thai,
party won general elections by an unprecedented margin.

Thaksin told reporters in Chiang Mai today that his government's top
priority over the next four years would be to curb the "rampant" drug
trade. He will meet next weekend with government agency heads to work on an
anti-drug strategy.

Thaksin, who had flown to the city by military plane instead, opened a
relative's shopping mall early today. He later held talks with police and
was due to visit a Buddhist temple to pay homage to his ancestors before
returning to Bangkok later today.

The Nation quoted an unidentified airline source as saying that the blast
occurred under seats 11A and 11B, where Thaksin and his son, Phanthongthae,
were supposed to sit.

Thailand has a history of coups and violent overthrows of governments, but
no prime minister has faced an assassination attempt. The nation has
enjoyed political stability under a succession of democratic governments
for the last eight years.

On Saturday, Thaksin said he was suspicious of the blast.

The prime minister had not reached the airport when the explosion occurred.
No passengers or pilots had boarded the plane, but the luggage had been
loaded. A flight attendant, Kampol Meerlap, was killed while preparing the
front section of the aircraft.