Bombs rattle Bangkok during ASEAN summit, wounding two
Bangkok: At least two small bombs exploded in Bangkok on Friday, rattling the Thai capital as it hosted a regional summit attended by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and leaving two people wounded.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha was told of "the bombing incidents and has ordered an immediate investigation", Thai government spokeswoman Narumon Pinyosinwat said, adding "security measures have been tightened.
The public is urged not to panic." Two women were wounded in one explosion just outside the city centre, the Erawan Emergency Centre told AFP.
A second explosion shattered glass near a well known downtown skyscraper, emergency police added.
Bomb disposal experts were deployed around the Mahanakorn Tower -- owned by the King Power group that counts Leicester City football club among its assets.
There were unconfirmed reports of several other devices being found across the city. The bombings took place just before a keynote speech by Pompeo, who has joined the Southeast Asian Foreign Ministers meeting. The government urged the media to avoid speculation on the motive for the bombings.
The blasts come weeks after former junta leader Prayut was inaugurated as a civilian prime minister, sparking outcry among many pro-democracy supporters in the deeply politically divided kingdom.
The incidents raise the uncomfortable memory of Thailand's last hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2009.
Then, protesters from the pro-democracy "red shirt" faction smashed their way into the summit venue in the resort city of Pattaya demanding elections.
Pandemonium ensued, with a number of leaders having to be rescued from a hotel roof by Thai army helicopters while others fled by boat.
Thailand has a long history of political violence linked to mass protests, coups and short-lived governments. (AFP)
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West Asia crisis: Rajasthan man goes missing near Oman after Iranian missile hits oil tanker
Jaipur (PTI): A man from Nagaur district in Rajasthan has gone missing after a missile struck an oil tanker he was aboard near Oman amid the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, according to his family members.
The family said they received information that an Iranian missile hit the vessel on the morning of March 1 while it was stationed at Khasab Port, causing significant damage to the ship.
Dalip Singh, the missing crew member, is a resident of Khinwatana village in Nagaur and began his duty on January 22.
He was serving as a crew member on the tanker operated by Skylight Company. At the time of the attack, Dalip was in the forward section of the ship with another crew member, Ashish Kumar, who hailed from Bihar. While Kumar's body has been recovered, Dalip remains untraceable, his brother Devendra Singh said.
Devendra further mentioned that the company informed them that most of the crew members were evacuated safely during the attack. However, Ashish and two others, including Dalip, have gone missing.
He noted that Dalip last spoke to the family on February 28.
Additionally, another man from Nagaur district, Sunil Kumar, was also working on the same vessel. Dalip is said to have taken over duty in the shift after Sunil completed his assignment, Devendra added.
