The 2006 Bangkok bombings occurred on 31 December 2006 and 1 January 2007, during New Year's Eve festivities in Bangkok, Thailand. Four explosions went off almost simultaneously in different parts of the city at around 18:00 local time (11:00 UTC), followed by several more explosions within the next 90 minutes. Two explosions also occurred after midnight. In total, eight explosions were reported during the night. As of 1 January 2007, three people were confirmed dead and more than 38 injured. One additional bomb exploded inside a cinema, but went unreported until the next day due to fears of negative publicity. The next morning, a bomb exploded in a mosque in Chiang Mai, the largest city in northern Thailand. Authorities ordered all public New Year's Eve events cancelled, including the countdown at the CentralWorld shopping center and the alms-giving at Sanam Luang. Chiang Mai police claimed the Chiang Mai mosque's janitor confessed to making that bomb, and a man was arrested in Bangkok for carrying an explosive device. However, no one has ever claimed responsibility for the Bangkok bombings. Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont blamed the "old power clique" as the group responsible for the bombings, referring to the deposed government of Thaksin Shinawatra as well as all those who had lost political power due to the 2006 military coup. Both the Thai Rak Thai party and deposed Premier Thaksin Shinawatra denied involvement. Surayud later backtracked and admitted that his claim that Thaksin-allies were responsible "was just an intelligence analysis" and was based on no solid evidence or information. The initials "IRK" were found written in marker in four places at three bomb sites. The IRK is an Afghanistan-trained urban guerrilla terrorism unit. Interior Minister Aree Wong-araya shrugged off suggestions that those responsible were Muslim terrorists. A meeting between Premier Surayud Chulanont and various security and intelligence agencies on the evening of 31 December failed to officially identify those for the attacks. On 1 January, Surayud announced that although the bombs had similar designs to those used by insurgents in Thailand's Muslim-dominated Southern provinces, closer inspection indicated no link, saying "I don't think they would come here as they could get lost in Bangkok." Police arrested more than a dozen individuals, including several military officers, on suspicion of being involved in the bombings. Junta-leader General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, himself a Muslim, claimed all of the military officers were innocent. A police investigation later