Australia Warns Of Attacks In Thailand

[george]

Australia warns of attacks in Thailand

(Bangkokpost.com from reports) - Australia warns its citizens about safety in Thailand, saying that intelligence information showed a high threat of insurgent bomb attacks.

The warning, issued on Thursday, is the second in little more than two weeks.

"We continue to receive reports that terrorists may be planning attacks against a range of targets, including tourist areas and other places frequented by foreigners," Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs said in its latest advisory.

It said more attacks could occur "at any time, anywhere" in Thailand.

"The increase in violence in Southern Thailand may lead to attacks elsewhere in Thailand, including Bangkok and other tourist areas, such as Phuket and Pattaya," it said.

Bangkok has been on high alert since New Year's Eve bombings that left three people killed and more than 30 injured.

--Bangkok Post 2007-03-08

Summary of Travel Advise from Australian Govt:

* We advise you to exercise a high degree of caution because of the high threat of terrorist attack. We continue to receive reports that terrorists may be planning attacks against a range of targets, including tourist areas and other places frequented by foreigners.

* On 30 January 2007, two small explosions occurred at the Rama Gardens Hotel and the Daily News, both in Bangkok. A series of bombs exploded in various locations in Bangkok on 31 December 2006, killing three and injuring over 30 others, including six foreigners. Further attacks cannot be ruled out.

* There is uncertainty over the political situation following a military takeover of the Government on 19 September 2006. Martial law remains in place in parts of the country.

* You should avoid demonstrations, political rallies, and concentrations of military personnel. You should monitor the media, and follow any instructions issued by local authorities.

* We strongly advise you to reconsider your need to travel at this time to the southern provinces of Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Songkhla or overland to and from the Malaysian border through these provinces, due to high levels of ongoing violence in these regions, including terrorist attacks. On 18 and 19 February 2007 a series of 38 bomb attacks and around 26 arson attacks took place in Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Songkhla provinces resulting in approximately 72 casualties including seven deaths. Targets included entertainment venues, power grids, petrol stations, telephone lines and other commercial sites, including a department store. The targets of the arson attacks included two government schools and Narathiwat central mosque.

* Over 1,900 people have reportedly been killed and many more injured, including a number of foreigners, since the level of violence began to increase in Thailand in the southern provinces in January 2004. Terrorists have warned foreign tourists not to travel to these areas. Further terrorist attacks could occur at any time, anywhere in Thailand.

Source: http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/Thailand

[aussie dollar]

nothing new

[wrecker]

And to speak with the Australians: Concentrations of military are the most dangerous. Why? well the shoot better than all the rest, ask the 1992 survivors. A Bloodless coup always turn in a very bloody one after a year or less.

[snip] The fact that Sonthi has lifted martial law in the South and lifted rewards on the captures of killers of women and children, rather than lifting martial law in Izan or the North, shows the real agenda of these people.

Stay away from the military should have been the advise, and if there is an terrorist attack , hey blame it on Thaksin.

It is hot today, too hot, bet that Thaksin is to blame for this wheater.

[eljeque]

The best warning they could ever give to tourists is to inform them that the roads are unsafe. More tourists die on the roads than anywhere else.

"We continue to receive reports that terrorists may be planning attacks against a range of targets, including tourist areas and other places frequented by foreigners," Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs said in its latest advisory."

Where did they get these reports from? Who issued these reports? If they have been "receiving" reports like these for quite a while, and they were credible, then why didn't anything ever happen in Pattaya or Phuket? EVER!!

[srisatch]

The best warning they could ever give to tourists is to inform them that the roads are unsafe. More tourists die on the roads than anywhere else.

"We continue to receive reports that terrorists may be planning attacks against a range of targets, including tourist areas and other places frequented by foreigners," Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs said in its latest advisory."

Where did they get these reports from? Who issued these reports? If they have been "receiving" reports like these for quite a while, and they were credible, then why didn't anything ever happen in Pattaya or Phuket? EVER!!

Absolutely! The carnage in the South is awful. Thailand's Northern Ireland-created by the Brits incompetence in drawing maps and borders, of course; and exacerbated by Thai imperialism..sanctity of the Thai state, integrity of the land of the Thais,..sounds just like UK Protestants...from the Battle of the Boyne to 20century Thai landgrabs. Always the people that live there that suffer. Interestingly it might be that the Northern Ireland 'problem' is to be settled. How? By THROWING MONEY at it...now there is a skill the Thais have in Spades

But it would be interesting to compare the figures of deaths in the Southern provinces with deaths on the roads over say the last 3 years. Easter is coming; and Songkhran. Imagine if several hundred people died on UK roads over Easter. Here??!!

[Vikingen]

Where did they get these reports from? Who issued these reports? If they have been "receiving" reports like these for quite a while, and they were credible, then why didn't anything ever happen in Pattaya or Phuket? EVER!!

Very simple, they signed, sealed and delivered those reports themselves. Just like the americans, they always know something will happen based on "chatter". Cry wolf comes to mind...

[h90]

And to speak with the Australians: Concentrations of military are the most dangerous. Why? well the shoot better than all the rest, ask the 1992 survivors. A Bloodless coup always turn in a very bloody one after a year or less.

[snip] The fact that Sonthi has lifted martial law in the South and lifted rewards on the captures of killers of women and children, rather than lifting martial law in Izan or the North, shows the real agenda of these people.

Stay away from the military should have been the advise, and if there is an terrorist attack , hey blame it on Thaksin.

It is hot today, too hot, bet that Thaksin is to blame for this wheater.

The fact that Sonthi has lifted martial law in the South and lifted rewards on the captures of killers of women and children, rather than lifting martial law in Izan or the North, shows the real agenda of these people.

at this time already drunk???

[Robbie Dye]

The best warning they could ever give to tourists is to inform them that the roads are unsafe. More tourists die on the roads than anywhere else.

"We continue to receive reports that terrorists may be planning attacks against a range of targets, including tourist areas and other places frequented by foreigners," Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs said in its latest advisory."

Where did they get these reports from? Who issued these reports? If they have been "receiving" reports like these for quite a while, and they were credible, then why didn't anything ever happen in Pattaya or Phuket? EVER!!

I think maybe somebody Down Under was bored and was looking for some senationalism. Seriously though the reports one reads of young Thai kids purportedly trained by Muslims in Malaysia to be insurgents does give this concept some credibility. Speculation is dangerous but would anyone be really surprised if the Australians are right? Would provide perfect reason to retain military rule etc etc. I worry a lot.

[ozzieman05]

The sun will rise in the sky tomorrow

Okay that said back to being a ittle hitler in a land where Thais sign away there right is they want to go to Austalia

[frogz]

I was looking at pictures of the aftermath of the IRA bomb in Manchester today. I was in Manchester when that bomb went off (it was the largest terrorist bomb to detonate in the UK). There were lots of people injured but, thankfully, no one was killed.

Sadly, I think it's just a question of time until a tourist spot is hit in Thailand. It appears that the government are doing very little about. Closing off the stairs and searching bags on the MRT seems to be the extent of there precautions as far as I can see. That's not going to stop a determind terrorist.

[Matt1036]

I am reminded of a cartoon I saw once of a terrified looking secret agent type firing a sub-machine gun into his own shadow....

Since the Bali bombing DFAT have taken the attitude of better to speak too much than be damned for silence ( they had some vague hints that the Bali bombing would occur but did not issue a travel warning ).

Wow...what a news flash - there is violence in the south of Thailand!

Personally I tend to ignore the warnings since the occur so often now.

[iang]

There's absolutely nothing new about these Australian DFAT reports - they've been very similar to this for a very long time. They were stepped up however on NY Eve, literally on the same night as the Bangkok bombings - very fast response indeed. Just a short while ago, one was issued for detailing a specific date where the threat of bombings in Bangkok was higher.

There are Australian DFAT warnings in place for just about every country on this planet! The thing is though, they're seemingly used politically. For instance, there's a 'reconsider your need to travel' for Bali and most of Indonesia (and a don't travel for certain parts too) and high levels of warning for Thailand in general and a 'do not travel' for the troubled southern provinces, yet for areas like London / UK, USA & Spain, where terrible terrorist attacks have occurred, these countries are on low alert ratings! Doesn't seem balanced & fair to me.

It all started in response to that first first bombing in Bali, where so many Aussies were killed. The Aussie government was pilloried in the media for not having 'local intelligence' and for not having warned Aussies of the dangers of travelling to overseas countries.

The government's response to that was 'OK, you want warnings, we'll give them to you - for everywhere' and then of course the Aussie government can be blameless if anything should happen, as they'll just say 'well, we told you so, but can't make people read the alerts'! It's a case of a government covering it's political backside!!!!!

[srisatch]

I was looking at pictures of the aftermath of the IRA bomb in Manchester today. I was in Manchester when that bomb went off (it was the largest terrorist bomb to detonate in the UK). There were lots of people injured but, thankfully, no one was killed.

Sadly, I think it's just a question of time until a tourist spot is hit in Thailand. It appears that the government are doing very little about. Closing off the stairs and searching bags on the MRT seems to be the extent of there precautions as far as I can see. That's not going to stop a determind terrorist.

There's a couple of guys with guns at Gate 2 of The Airport looking in handbags.......................

[Crushdepth]

They have to issue a generic warning like this periodically in order to appear to be doing the right thing. If some Oz tourists get randomly blown up because they were in the wrong pub (bound to happen eventually), the embassy would look like idiots if they hadn't issued a warning. This way they can either say 'we told you so' (bomb) or 'we are erring on the side of caution' (nothing happened).

I doubt that the embassy would ever give a public warning based on intelligence that was actually credible. I presume those are dealt with in other ways.

The government's response to that was 'OK, you want warnings, we'll give them to you - for everywhere' and then of course the Aussie government can be blameless if anything should happen, as they'll just say 'well, we told you so, but can't make people read the alerts'! It's a case of a government covering it's political backside!!!!!

Edit: You beat me too it :-)

Edited March 8, 2007 by Crushdepth

[cdnvic]

Well, there have already been bombings in Thailand. Did they mention anything before then? Might be a good clue as to the quality of their sources.

[george]

Well, there have already been bombings in Thailand. Did they mention anything before then? Might be a good clue as to the quality of their sources.

Yes, several sources incl. Australia warned between Christmas and New Year, if I remember right.

[Crushdepth]

Yes, several sources incl. Australia warned between Christmas and New Year, if I remember right.

The work of geniuses :-)

[srisatch]

CDNVIC...Sources??...see below?!

Look at the number of people reading this thread...people are, quite reasonably, concerned. I have small children and I am not strolling, of an evening with foreign business visitors through Walking Street Pattaya or Soi Bangla.

I would trust Oz intelligence more than US simply on the basis that they do not have quite the same 'terror' agenda...and there are probably..I don't know... more Aussies in LOS than Americans...and there is the precedent of Bali.

I think it is clear that Thaksin didn't have a clue what to do and neither do the CNS, whether or not there are 'Muslim' Generals.

The so-called problem surely does arise from a supposition in the Bangkok 'elite' that no-one who is 'Thai' could possibly not want to be a lowly vassal of the 'Thai State'. In just the same way that lowly and poor NI Catholics could not want to be British, Basques could not want to be Spanish etc.....could they? British 'Intelligence' in Northern Ireland was consistently proved to be useless, much US 'Intelligence' re Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere has been shown to be politically subverted-hardly the fault of the agents-and all this hugely funded...You can hardly expect Thais to do better in spite of the arcane convolutions of Thai politics!

Walk Tall! Stay Home!!

[craigoaus]

Just heard from a friend in Israel that they have been warned about bombings in BKK

[craigoaus]

Just heard from a friend in Israel that they have been warned about bombings in BKK

[BigSnake]

Not Surprise, Beware an inform of things and people around you.

[blaze]

Well, there have already been bombings in Thailand. Did they mention anything before then? Might be a good clue as to the quality of their sources.

Yes, several sources incl. Australia warned between Christmas and New Year, if I remember right.

If memory serves me right, Sarayuth warned of NY bombings two weeks before they occurred.

[nyles]

Well, there have already been bombings in Thailand. Did they mention anything before then? Might be a good clue as to the quality of their sources.

Yes, several sources incl. Australia warned between Christmas and New Year, if I remember right.

Well! What can you use a warning for anyway since you never know where a bomb will hit. And you cannot stay inside your home in fear all your life - for sure you aught to stay inside if you bear the statistics about traffic deaths in mind. That is scary reading and I am sure that most folks will know more people hurt or killed in traffic than people hit by bombs. I guess winning big time in lottery is still more easy than being hit by terrorists unless you actually live in the far South or in another terror striken outskirt.

[srisatch]

I am off to surf the Forum, the Web, The world. I guess I am more likely to be finished off by a Garuda Airplane, Gin, Cracks in the Airport Runway or Mrs S running amok. And I might wake up with egg, for preference, on my face in the morning.........well its the last day of school!!

Edited March 8, 2007 by srisatch

[aussimike]

Where did they get these reports from? Who issued these reports? If they have been "receiving" reports like these for quite a while, and they were credible, then why didn't anything ever happen in Pattaya or Phuket? EVER!!

Very simple, they signed, sealed and delivered those reports themselves. Just like the americans, they always know something will happen based on "chatter". Cry wolf comes to mind...

another stupid comment from the so called well informed !!!!!!-- pre warned is better than being uniformed like some people - and the intelligence received is shared by both the thai govt and others in the region - this is an advice to travellers only -- and i would rather be warned about the possiblity than to be caught like i was on NY's eve at Siam, no thanks = I am happy to get these updates -- as i am sure others are

[sgunn65]

Having lived in London throughout the IRA bombing campaign and now the Al Queada campaign I cannot say I am unduly worried by these threats.

Terrorism is global and anywhere us Brits and Yanks go will be deemed by some group or another as a viable and legitimate target. That, unfortunately, is modern life. Londoners, in general, have a relaxed view of this and have always got on with life and ignored the threat. It was said that the couldn't be arsed attitudes of Brits to the IRA mainland bombing campaigns was a major factor in bringing the IRA to the negotiating table.

The objective of terrorism is to terrorise. When that doesn't work it fails. So, for what it is worth, go out, enjoy and give no regard to the threat of attacks. You may get unlucky but you probably won't!

Every person who doesn't fly (America are you listening) or who stays away from the bars and clubs sends a message to the terrorists that they are winning.

[jdinasia]

Where did they get these reports from? Who issued these reports? If they have been "receiving" reports like these for quite a while, and they were credible, then why didn't anything ever happen in Pattaya or Phuket? EVER!!

Very simple, they signed, sealed and delivered those reports themselves. Just like the americans, they always know something will happen based on "chatter". Cry wolf comes to mind...

another stupid comment from the so called well informed !!!!!!-- pre warned is better than being uniformed like some people - and the intelligence received is shared by both the thai govt and others in the region - this is an advice to travellers only -- and i would rather be warned about the possiblity than to be caught like i was on NY's eve at Siam, no thanks = I am happy to get these updates -- as i am sure others are

I am glad that SOMEONE is happy to get them! They do little for anyone that is actually IN Thailand ... but they do give the various gov't's the ability to say 'we warned you' if something happens almost anywhere!

[Ozziepaul]

Quite a lot of 'chit and chat' about this and that......BUT for those in the know, you have been 'advised'.

When you hear the bangs and ask 'what the faark was that', just remember what has already been said.

All is not what it seems and irrespective of peoples opinions, the 'intelligence' from VERY reliable sources keeps on rolling in.

This is all we have to go on and must act accordingly.

Enuf said for now and here's hoping that the intel is wrong.

Stay safe, but for God's sake don't be stupid...don't think people do NOT know what they are talking about.

Cheers 'n' beers.

Big Paulee.

[Old Man River]

Quite a lot of 'chit and chat' about this and that......BUT for those in the know, you have been 'advised'.

OK, we have been advised. Now, what does one do that lives here after having been "advised?"

[totlanh]

Having lived in London throughout the IRA bombing campaign and now the Al Queada campaign I cannot say I am unduly worried by these threats.

The difference with the Ira campaign though is that despite British paranoi the Ira never deliberatly targeted civilians.