Thailand hosts memorial service for Dusit victims

What you need to know:

  • Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in a message sent to President Uhuru Kenyatta last week condoled with the country.
  • The DusitD2 Hotel in Nairobi which was the scene of the latest terror attack last Tuesday is one of the 29 hotels and resorts owned by the Dusit Thani Group of companies.
  • Headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand, Dusit International was founded in 1948.
  • Security forces on Tuesday allowed motorists who had parked their vehicles at the hotel before last Tuesday's terror attack to collect them.

IN BANGKOK, THAILAND

Thai nationals on Wednesday held a memorial service honouring 21 people killed in last week's terror attack on the Dusit hotel complex, a firm owned by a multinational from the Southeast Asia country.

The memorial service in Bangkok, Thailand’s capital city, started at 1pm (9am in Nairobi).

"Unfortunately, the sad reality of today is that there are those who will stop at nothing to bring chaos to our world. And sometimes they succeed. In the darkness, however, we must not forget there is always light. And as a global family, we must grasp and nurture this light together," said Dusit International Group chief executive Suphajee Suthumpun.

Ms Jeniffer Njiru, the deputy head of mission and chancery in Kenya's Thailand embassy said the terrorists also targeted the international community.

"The attack was not only targeted to Kenya but to the world as the complex where it happened hosts a number of international companies," said Ms Njiru.

About 28 injured people were admitted to hospital, with many who suffered soft tissue injuries while fleeing from the scene of the attack treated and discharged from various hospitals.

One of the companies that was based at 14 Riverside Complex on Tuesday held a public memorial service in remembrance of six of their staff killed in the attack.

THAI FIRM

Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in a message sent to President Uhuru Kenyatta last week condoled with the country.

“On behalf of the Government and the people of Thailand, I wish to extend my deepest sympathy and condolences to Your Excellency, and through you, to the bereaved families of those who were affected by this terrorist act,” he said.

The DusitD2 Hotel in Nairobi which was the scene of the latest terror attack last Tuesday is one of the 29 hotels and resorts owned by the Dusit Thani Group of companies, also known as Dusit International. The firm is a Thai multinational hospitality company.

Headquartered in Bangkok, Thailand, Dusit International was founded in 1948.

COLLECT BELONGINGS

Amid tightened security around the location with only those who proved to have been working there allowed to get in, tenants were also permitted to get into their offices and collect belongings including documents and electronics.

During the attack on January 15, Al-Shabaab terrorists hurled grenades into cars, causing three of them to go up in flames.

One of them blew himself up outside Secret Garden Restaurant and the others damaged property inside buildings as they walked through the Grosvenor building at 14 Riverside Drive while shooting indiscriminately.

So far, four more people, including the mother of one of the terrorists killed in the gunfight during the attack, have been arraigned.