North Korean Train Explosion Intentional?
Call me SJO for a minute if you'd like, but it seems like a strange coincidence that Kim Jong Il was returning from a secret mission to discuss nuclear disarmament through the same station where hours later a devastating explosion ripped apart the station.
First off, my money remains on "accident" but let's consider some other possibilities...
Could it have been a failed coupe attempt by NK's hawks to remove a softening KJI from power? A simple power play?
What if KJI was actually killed in the blast and they're covering it up right now?
What if there was a contingent of Chinese officials on a similar "secret trip" to NK to meet with KJI and tour his facilities and they got whacked, NK trying to destabilize China?
Just had to air some nutty conspiracy theories...I feel all better now.
Except for the death and destruction that hit that the city of Ryongchon. There's another thread to discuss the tragedy, this is the whacko thread.
First off, my money remains on "accident" but let's consider some other possibilities...
Could it have been a failed coupe attempt by NK's hawks to remove a softening KJI from power? A simple power play?
What if KJI was actually killed in the blast and they're covering it up right now?
What if there was a contingent of Chinese officials on a similar "secret trip" to NK to meet with KJI and tour his facilities and they got whacked, NK trying to destabilize China?
Just had to air some nutty conspiracy theories...I feel all better now.
Except for the death and destruction that hit that the city of Ryongchon. There's another thread to discuss the tragedy, this is the whacko thread.
Comments
My bet is on the latter.
Originally posted by rageous
This explosion happened nine hours after Kim passed through. Nine hours is a very long time. This was either one of the most ill conceived assassination attempts by some of the biggest idiots ever, or just a horrific accident.
My bet is on the latter.
Timing was good enough to kill and injure many. So, what if this is Al Qaeda pulling a Madrid?
A. Make Kim Jung Il paranoid that the US is actively after him? or:
B. Make him deal nukes with Al Qaeda by threatening him and his people? or:
C. To intimidate him to not give up its nuclear ambitions, as he is thinking to do? or:
D. "This could have been you" intentionally delayed threat by Al Qaeda or internal opposition (if there is such a thing in the cult nation)
All unfounded of course, but as far as speculation goes, they are reasonable.
More than anything though it's probably just a screwed rail infrastructure due to no funds.
Originally posted by rageous
[B the most ill conceived assassination attempts by some of the biggest idiots ever
[/B]
Someone call Arlen Specter and tell him to bring his Magic Bullet.
My guess is that is was an accident, an extremely severe one. news reports indicate some 1800 houses destroyed and over 6000 damaged, with debris raining down up to 10 miles away...it must have been a really massive blast.
But nuclear? Thats most unlikely....and setting off a nuclear bomb isnt exactly a simple procedure! Also, signatures of an atomic blast would have been picked up right away by spy satellites in geo-sync orbit above NK (I cannot imagine there aren't any!).
And assassination? Thats just as absurd.....why demolish an area the size of a small county when a few bullets are equally effective?
As for assasination, communist countries have pretty shitty reputations when it comes to safety in the workplace. I'd say it was due to worn-out equipement.
In Pyongyang, the capital, North Korean officials told aid workers that the explosion was set off when railroad workers mishandled electric power connectors over a freight train, showering sparks onto a car loaded with dynamite.
Why would a train-car loaded with dynamite travel unsealed?? Moisture would be a huge concern for the demolition crews, they'd insist that the dynamite travel covered. And what kind of bad 1980's action adventure music video did this come from? Sparks raining down on a train loaded with explosives? Wasn't the last story that it was some kind of problem with the rails?
Boy, these conspiracy theory games are fun. I'll stop now.
Pyongyang, April 24 (KCNA) -- The KCNA on April 24 released the following report as regards an explosion at Ryongchon Railway@Station in North Phyongan Province, on April 22: An explosion occurred at Ryongchon Railway Station in North Phyongan Province on April 22 due to the electrical contact caused by@carelessness during the shunting of wagons loaded with ammonium nitrate fertilizer and tank wagons.
The investigation conducted so far shows that the damage is very serious. It is going on.
The DPRK government is doing its utmost to recover from the damage caused by the accident as early as possible and help the living@of the people in the afflicted area return to normal.
It appreciates the willingness expressed by the governments of various countries and international bodies and organizations to@render humanitarian assistance to the DPRK."
From here.
Originally posted by sammi jo
OK,,since this is a conspiracy thread, I have to add my 2 cents.
Ammonium nitrate, eh? That actually raises flags more than any dynamite story to me at least. Beyond the tragedy of so many people dying is the travesty of this news. We simply cannot take NK's word at face value. People here act the same way about the US and France, but does anyone think that NK is willing to be straightforward about this? It's shameful that we sit here and we can't simply be struck by the horror of this event. It desecrates the memory those who died in this calamity. I don't think it's our own fault for the most part. NK is caught, in a sense, of crying wolf. We have a hard time believing them because the government has lied so many times before to cover more sinister motives and actions.
Originally posted by BuonRotto
[B]
Of course! We all love a good conspiracy...its the basis of so much great entertainment.
Ammonium nitrate, eh? That actually raises flags more than any dynamite story to me at least. Beyond the tragedy of so many people dying is the travesty of this news. We simply cannot take NK's word at face value. People here act the same way about the US and France, but does anyone think that NK is willing to be straightforward about this? It's shameful that we sit here and we can't simply be struck by the horror of this event. It desecrates the memory those who died in this calamity. I don't think it's our own fault for the most part. NK is caught, in a sense, of crying wolf. We have a hard time believing them because the government has lied so many times before to cover more sinister motives and actions. [/
Its been a few years since high school chemistry, but from what I recall, ammonium nitrate is fairly stable and doesn't just explode on a whim. Otherwise we would be hearing regular stories about farms in the midwest suddenly disappearing off the map in thunderous explosions....
Dynamite is also stable...unless it is "sweating" old stock where the active constituent (nitroglycerin) is separating out from its claylike base. And...."dynamite" is often used as a generic term for many modern high explosives which are extremely stable, such as TNT etc.
Assassination using this kind of tactic? highly unlikely.
Hmmm....
I don't think we've had a good conspiracy thread in a long time.
It's only fair to let the shock and the calamity dissipate and allow reporters to parse the FUD that most certainly has been issuing from the site of the blast. I think we all mostly agree that once all the facts are on the table there'll be a strong likelihood that it was a plain and simple (and horrible) accident due to carelessness.
If we're talking about this you KNOW that the international press is chomping at the bit to get "the real" story and that the intelligence community is abuzz.
Originally posted by drewprops
Call me SJO for a minute if you'd like, but it seems like a strange coincidence that Kim Jong Il was returning from a secret mission to discuss nuclear disarmament through the same station where hours later a devastating explosion ripped apart the station.
First off, my money remains on "accident" but let's consider some other possibilities...
Could it have been a failed coupe attempt by NK's hawks to remove a softening KJI from power? A simple power play?
What if KJI was actually killed in the blast and they're covering it up right now?
What if there was a contingent of Chinese officials on a similar "secret trip" to NK to meet with KJI and tour his facilities and they got whacked, NK trying to destabilize China?
Just had to air some nutty conspiracy theories...I feel all better now.
Except for the death and destruction that hit that the city of Ryongchon. There's another thread to discuss the tragedy, this is the whacko thread.
strange co-incidence indeed. if not the Korean cabbage fields that stuff was going somewhere else. Also amusing, if it wasn't a tad more distressing is the statement in Christopher Bodeen's AP article: "American intelligence analysts thought it was probably a coincidence that the blast happened hours after North Korean leader Kim Jong Il reportedly passed through the station on his way home from a three-day visit to China"... I feel so much better now.
The North Korean authorities have said the massive blast was the result of an "electrical contact caused by carelessness".
It appears two railway wagons carrying dynamite exploded after getting snagged on overhead electric cables.
A North Korean official, Jang Song-gun, who is charge of rescue efforts, said the 154 confirmed dead included 76 students, Xinhua reported.
carelessness, sure... that I can believe.
the Chinese regularly lose explosives trains and fireworks factories due to smoking workers.
electricity in North Korea...? now I'm calling fiction.
North Korea has always been a dark, mysterious place.