Thailand jails man for 27 years over Bangkok hospital bomb

Bangkok (VNA) - A Thai court sentenced a 62-year-old man to 27 years in prison on December 6 for planting a bomb at a Bangkok hospital that wounded 21 people.

The explosion hit the Phramongkutklao military hospital in the Thai capital, Bangkok, in May on the third anniversary of the 2014 military coup. The hospital is popular with soldiers and their families and retired military officers.

Police arrested Watana Pumret, a retired government employee, after the blast and said he had confessed to the bombing because he despises the military.

The military government has promised to hold a general election in November 2018 to return Thailand to democracy but senior government figures have said more time is needed to complete laws related to the vote.

The government has also cited security concerns as a reason for not lifting a ban on politics that has been in place since 2014, despite increasing pressure from groups of all political stripes to lift the ban.-VNA