Thai leader uncertain if explosive caused plane fire

Workers spray the destroyed plane

BANGKOK -- Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said Sunday he does not know if a fire on a plane he was about to board was set in an attempt to kill him.

"I cannot specify definitely what is the cause of the problem," Thaksin told CNN after a day marked by conflicting and confusing reports.

These were his first public comments in English since the Thai Airways Boeing 737 he was due to board was gutted by fire at Bangkok Airport Saturday 35 minutes before it was scheduled to take off.

CNN: "Do you believe from the information you have already that this was an explosive device that caused the fire on the plane?"

Thaksin: "According to some report it might -- it might -- have some explosion. But we don't have the cause of the explosion yet."

Earlier Sunday, in his home city of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, Thaksin was quoted as saying he believed the fire was not an accident and that an explosive device caused it.

Some of his senior aides were quoted similarly.

But the prime minister appeared to tone down his earlier comments when he spoke to CNN back in Bangkok -- moments after being briefed by senior investigators.

Workers spray the destroyed plane

Asked who might want to kill him and why, Thaksin said, "I cannot identify yet. Let the investigative team do their job."

Investigators continued combing through the aircraft's burnt-out shell Sunday, taking away what they called "evidence" for scientific testing.

Witnesses said they heard explosions before the fire erupted in the plane.

Five members of the cabin crew were the only ones on board the aircraft at the time. One of them was killed.

Seven people, all of them cabin crew or ground staff, were injured.

At the time of the fire, Thaksin was still en route to the airport. Most of the other 148 passengers were waiting to board.

The prime minister was detoured to a Royal Thai Air Force base and flew to Chiang Mai on an air force plane. He returned to Bangkok by the same means Sunday.

He told CNN he wanted to "allow the officials to investigate the evidence and do some more interrogations before we come to any conclusions."

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