Feature: Thailand's Erawan Shrine reopens amid wishes

Madam Liu from Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia, came to the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, Thailand on Wednesday morning, together with her five-year-old kid. They lit a candle and put their palms together devoutly, mourning the dead and blessing those alive.

Liu said she felt sad when seeing fewer tourists at the shrine located at Ratchaprasong intersection, a popular tourist destination in downtown Bangkok which used to be very crowded.

Liu was among people who came to the shrine when it reopened two days after being rocked by an explosion on Monday, which left at least 20 people dead, including seven Chinese nationals.

In front of the shrine, a poster was surrounded by flowers, saying "Together and Stronger". There were lots of message slips stuck on it, saying "pray for Bangkok", "everything will get better" and others.

The statue at the shrine, more widely known as the four-faced Brahma, was slightly damaged by the explosion. But its sacred status has not been damaged in the heart of people.

A Thai woman, in her 50s, also came to the shrine on Wednesday morning to worship, along with her several friends, saying that the shrine is "the harbor of their hearts".

The woman strongly condemned the blast, saying it hurt those innocent people.

Currently, traffic around the Erawan Shrine at Ratchaprasong intersection has resumed and the debris left by the blast has largely been cleaned.

However, some white circles, which police used to mark the places where the blast victims were found, still could been seen.

Analysts say Monday's deadly bomb attack could take a toll on Thailand's tourism, a major pillar of the country's weakening economy that is suffering contracted exports.

The Thai economy may not recover from the negative impact of the explosion until early next year, Thai economist Kampon Adireksombat said, stressing that the impact will be minimized if the government captures the perpetrators promptly and puts an end to this tragedy.

In the short term, fewer individual tourists will be visiting Thailand, and the situation will be further exacerbated if there are more explosions to follow.

The remainder of this year is expected to witness slower economic growth, which will rely heavily on government spending and tourism, but the blast will have short-term influence on the tourism industry, said Huang Bin, an expert with Kasikorn Research Center, a Thai think tank.

"It is hoped that Monday's explosion is only an isolated incident, with no more similar attacks to follow. The Thai government will take measures to ensure safety, restore tourists' confidence and protect the tourism sector from being severely affected," Huang told Xinhua. Endi