Premier Was Target of Blast, Advisor Says

The blast that destroyed a Thai Airways plane minutes before Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was to board came from beneath his assigned seat, his security advisor said. Thaksin said it could have been an inside job to assassinate him.

The Boeing 737-400 blew up and burned on the tarmac Saturday, 35 minutes before its scheduled departure from Bangkok International Airport.

One crew member died and seven airline workers were injured. None of the 149 listed passengers, including Thaksin, had boarded.

But Prasarn Wongwai, Thaksin’s security advisor, said that “the source of the explosion came from where the prime minister was supposed to be seated.”