BANGKOK, Feb 28, 2010 (AFP) - Two grenades exploded outside branches of Thailand's biggest bank, police said Sunday, after a court verdict against deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra sparked a security alert.
Another two unexploded grenades were defused at Bangkok Bank branches, said police, adding that none of the incidents late Saturday had caused any casualties.
The first blast shattered the windows and doors of the Bangkok Bank branch in the Silom business district of the Thai capital, police spokesman Major General Piya Uthay told AFP.
The second caused similar damage to a branch in Samut Prakarn, about 30 kilometres (18 miles) outside Bangkok, and also damaged several telephone booths, police said.
The unexploded grenades were both found at branches of the bank in Bangkok.
Thai authorities said Saturday they were on high alert after the Supreme Court a day earlier confiscated 1.4 billion dollars of Thaksin's fortune for abuse of power.
Hundreds of protesters from the "Red Shirt" movement loyal to Thaksin surrounded Bangkok Bank's headquarters one week before the verdict, forcing it to close for the day.
They said the bank has links to chief royal adviser and former prime minister Prem Tinsulanonda, whom they accuse of masterminding the 2006 military coup that toppled Thaksin.
Current Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the government had predicted unrest after the court ruling on Thaksin's wealth.
"The bomb incidents were expected after the verdict. They are the actions of a small group of people who want to create unrest," Abhisit said in his weekly television broadcast.
He said police and soldiers were monitoring at checkpoints and that the government would install more CCTV cameras.
"Our society is in a challenging situation right now," the premier added.
On February 14 police defused a bomb near the Supreme Court while a grenade exploded near government offices. Police have not made any arrests yet in connection with any of the incidents.
Thaksin and his supporters have vowed to fight back against Friday's verdict and the Red Shirts have said they will hold a mass rally in Bangkok in mid-March, although they have promised that their campaign will be non-violent.