BANGKOK — With much fanfare, Thai police had offered an $84,000 reward for tips leading to arrests in the Bangkok bombing. On Monday, they handed out the cash – to themselves.

They arrested a suspect Saturday, though the man has not been charged, let alone convicted. He may not even be the prime suspect in the Aug. 17 bombing at Bangkok’s Erawan Shrine, which killed 20 people and injured more than 120.

That was enough for national police chief Somyot Poompanmoung: He said he was taking the unusual step of redirecting 3 million baht reward to highlight that Thailand’s police are good at their jobs.

Somyot made the announcement at a news conference Monday. The decision quickly added to criticism on social media over police handling of the bombing investigation. Many Thais have expressed doubt that the bombing will be solved, citing a reputation Thai police have for corruption and forcing confessions.


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