Australia Warns Of Attacks In Thailand

[cdnvic]

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?"

Stay the #### out of Bangkok Taxis.... those things'll kill you.

[Ozziepaul]

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?"

BE VIGILANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[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.

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

Actually that is not quite accurate.

The Birmingham bombing were in pubs where 23 civilians died. The Arndale centre, Harrods and the city may all be regarded as economic targets but they were frequented by civilians. Also the failed bomb under Hammersmith bridge was targetted as a disruption bomb but since the bridge is in hevy use 24/7 it would have hit civvies.

The IRA actually said that the British public were legitimate targets as they supported the occupation.

The real difference in the IRA was they actually cared about their soldiers and never deliberately put them at risk, prefering to cancel a campaign. The idea of using suicide bombers was anathema to them as would have been the idea of using people with mental health problems to deliver the goods.

[Arkady]

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.

Interesting. Who did these decent chaps target with bombs in department stores and shopping centres then?

[Crow Boy]

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.

Ahh now I understand it - so the kids in bands or going to school in a bright yellow bus with SCHOOL BUS written on it were really SAS soldiers in exceedingly good disguises

Or the IRA were so incompetent they can't tell the difference

Or the IRA didn't give a rat's backside about who they blew up

The term "you are an idiot" springs to mind but fortunately in consideration to the rules I decided against using it

[cdnvic]

The IRA aren't going to target Thailand so......

[JacknDanny]

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.

Sorry totlanh, cannot let you get away with that statement!!!

I could cite several examples..........Enniskillen being probably the best known

[AsiaCheese]

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!!

We're not talking double-oh-seven, but there are countless countries/gov'ts running countless secret service ops, and their main business is keeping an ear to the ground. Analyzing "hear-say" from different sources, some of which are "on the inside" (= moles), eventually forms a vague picture ("threat assessment"), which is consequently the base of reports such as this one. Going into any detail could expose sources, so sure as h*ll they don't and won't.

The fact that nothing has happened in places like Pattaya or Phuket [yet] may have something to do with the fact that reports are coming out: they might get some of the badies to think that part of their cover is half-blown (along the lines of "how much is already known?", "this is getting too risky business...").

While this might be a super-optimistic (naïve?) view of things, and a scenario that will go down real sweet with Bush babies & their "everyone is a terrorist" attitude, fact is that if no warnings are issued, people will invariably trample into trouble spots... While I'm not the paranoïd type, I sometimes have a queasy feeling walking past Marine disco in Pattaya, remembering what happened in Bali (where I was a few months before it got blown up...).

[schmokinn]

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.

really so i guess they must have been targeting the inanimate buildings,streets and cars that these people unfortunately happened to be passing at the time they chose to detonate the bombs???

i guess you beleive every bit of propaganda you read from the poor,poor souls in the I.R.A.

do you support the muslim insurgents all around the world too?

[farang prince]

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.

It is not "if" but "when" another terrorist attack or a series of terrorist attacks occur in Thailand. And the same can be said of New York, Washington, London, Paris, Madrid, Berlin and every other major city in the world. There will always be someone with a twisted mind and an agenda of hate who will find an excuse to commit a terrorist attack. It is tragically the facts of life that we have to live with in the early part of the 21st century.

I live part of the year in Bangkok. Does that mean I'm going to change where I go, where I shop, where I eat, where I meet my friends for a drink? hel_l no. I spend two tours of duty in Vietnam and Bangkok ain't no Vietnam or Belfast or Jerusalem...at least not yet.

As for the Thai traffic, yep it is legendary. They come at you from all directions. But actually the Thais are damned good drivers. Picture what would happen on the LA freeways if you added thousands of kamakaze motorcycle drivers, balls to the wall taxis, pollution-spewing buses and millions of pedestrians who think a crosswalk is their shield against being flattened by a car to the traffic mix. The streets would run red.

[dsfbrit]

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.

Agreed.

Sorry you were in Manchester at that time. I lived and worked near the City of London when Canary Wharf and Liverpool Street etc... were targetted. I wasn't scared for some reason, more miffed by the 'ring of steel' they erected everywhere. Sad about the deaths though!

They searched under my Pickup with the 'mirrors on a stick' when I went to collect my wife from Pattaya Bangkok hospital yesterday. I found that a bit disconcerting, brought it home to me the reality of what is going on elsewhere in Thailand.

On quite a few occasions in London I reported bags and things to police or the owners of pubs when 'dickheads' just left them lying around the place. They often seemed to leave their bags on the floor next to me and went to talk to their chums at the other end of the pub! or go to the toilet for a while!!! I suppose we will be having to report 'suspicious' looking parcels soon - dont know who to though!

[gbswales]

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.

Firstly NOTHING can stop determined well organised terrorists - you cannnot search everyone evereywhere without disrupting daily life to the extent that the terrorists win anyway - even if their bombs do not explode. Sadly there is no short term solution and no country is immune - I have been flying on middle east airlines for some years now but even the moderate middle east states are under threat.

The ONLY long term solution (and I mean in decades!) is to share wealth and eradicate the poverty in the areas that provide the recruiting ground - people who own property, have good educational and work prospects are LESS likely to take up arms for fear of losing what they have. (The present and probably upcoming generations of youth in the south are lost already - it will take a couple of generations to change things) For many young boys in the south the options are (1) live in poverty the rest of their lives, or (2) become a money boy or lady boy and hope they make enough by the time they are 25 (and that they live that long) or (3) jump the border and train as a terrorist "to fight for a better future" - little wonder that a significant number choose the latter. Remember also that many of them feel the need to make this choice as young as 13-14 at a stage when they should be gaining the knowledge to inform such decisions rather than actually making them.

As long as individual countries and, more especially the more highly developed and wealthy ones, continue to hang on to their wealth, rather than redressing interanl and global imbalance, the more it will go on. It is morrally indefensible that a persons' opposrunity in life should be defined by accidents of geography (ie where they are born)

Deal with the symptoms as best you can - of course this is necessary - but until we genuinely strive for long term solutions then it will only get worse - on a local scale in Thailand this means that the relatively rich areas like Bangkok will have to sacrafice to the poorer ones to level the field. The same applies to Belfast - put all the political hype aside - I know real people there and the reasons why the violence is subsiding is because more people are sharing in the wealth there and that living standards and opportunities are improving.

[gbswales]

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.

Firstly NOTHING can stop determined well organised terrorists - ......

I forgot to add that since young people face the disruption to their lives by the national service programme - I guess many will think "what the heck - why not become a fighter now anyway". National service is an immoral thing anyway - there is no major war going on and if they army paid well enough and offered educational incentives they would have more volunteers than they need. One young friend of mine was turned down for a job in a hotel because "he might get called up for the army in a years time!". Young Thai people need a fair chance in life.

The whole process of national service in thailand is unfair - lotteries (along with usual corruption by the well heeled!) give young people two years or more of anxiety about what will happen, and even in Bangkok, the accident of which district you live in can affect the chances. I am also told that they are given a choice "sign up voluntarily for a year" or "take a gamble on being selected for two and a half years". This is nothing short of Blackmai and should be condemned by the rest of the world. I know some people will say "this is the Thai way" etc and I am one of the last people who wants to see many of the wonderful Thai ways of life get lost - however as, citizens of the world, I believe that there are basic human standards for young people that should be encouraged.

Lastly the role of the military should not be to govern a country but to defend it from would be invaders

[blaze]

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.

Firstly NOTHING can stop determined well organised terrorists - you cannnot search everyone evereywhere without disrupting daily life to the extent that the terrorists win anyway - even if their bombs do not explode. Sadly there is no short term solution and no country is immune - I have been flying on middle east airlines for some years now but even the moderate middle east states are under threat.

The ONLY long term solution (and I mean in decades!) is to share wealth and eradicate the poverty in the areas that provide the recruiting ground - people who own property, have good educational and work prospects are LESS likely to take up arms for fear of losing what they have. (The present and probably upcoming generations of youth in the south are lost already - it will take a couple of generations to change things) For many young boys in the south the options are (1) live in poverty the rest of their lives, or (2) become a money boy or lady boy and hope they make enough by the time they are 25 (and that they live that long) or (3) jump the border and train as a terrorist "to fight for a better future" - little wonder that a significant number choose the latter. Remember also that many of them feel the need to make this choice as young as 13-14 at a stage when they should be gaining the knowledge to inform such decisions rather than actually making them.

As long as individual countries and, more especially the more highly developed and wealthy ones, continue to hang on to their wealth, rather than redressing interanl and global imbalance, the more it will go on. It is morrally indefensible that a persons' opposrunity in life should be defined by accidents of geography (ie where they are born)

Deal with the symptoms as best you can - of course this is necessary - but until we genuinely strive for long term solutions then it will only get worse - on a local scale in Thailand this means that the relatively rich areas like Bangkok will have to sacrafice to the poorer ones to level the field. The same applies to Belfast - put all the political hype aside - I know real people there and the reasons why the violence is subsiding is because more people are sharing in the wealth there and that living standards and opportunities are improving.

A nice post gbswales. Thankyou.

We get hints about the torture that goes on in the south and has for a long time- the disappearances- (and not just of one human rights lawyer) about the economic conditions) and all support what you say.

Of course you will be accused of attempting to 'justify' terrorism. But some will realize that a post like yours indicates a genuine desire to eliminate terrorism and not to 'excuse' it.

[hagler]

Look if you dont want to hear about these advisories then just dont read them. Pretty simple really.

I will say it again for those of you who are a bit thick.

If you dont want to hear about them dont read them.

[PeteH]

Lots of writers say that the insurgents are already winning on a consistant basis, so they don't need to shift the violence to a more tourist friendly area.

I'd be more worried about the government/ ex- government and any "action" to undermine each other.

[jaapfries]

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...

===================================================================

Vikingen ? ? Why so very derogatory towards "the Americans" - must have a short memory: whenever there was any serious trouble in this world, the Americans were there first to sort-out the mess for all the rest of us, and all the while (before, during and after) subjected to the "scorn" of many . . . .

Well; this Viking ( and I am a real one !) for one, is very grateful to the Americans, since I didn't have to grow up speaking German . . . . . .

I owe a great debt to the Americans and state anything other than that would be totally insincere !

JK

Pattaya

[totlanh]

Firstly to all you misinformed morons who appear to think i advocate IRA violence you may find it enlightening to discover that i am a Unionist.If you are as misguided as some of you sound that means i support the link to the Union and hence deplore IRA violence.I was born in Belfast in 1970 and thus think i can talk with a bit more authority about this subject than those of you who are suggsting i am talking rubbish.Let me make this clear.I did not assert that the RA had not killed civilians i was suggesting that they did not OPENLY target them.The main reason for this is that as a terrorist organisation they required the support from within the community.If they went out to randomly main and slaughter civilains that support would have dried up very quickly.For every bomb that was placed in a so called civilian place a telephone warning would have been made.Now on sad occasions these were wither vague or misunderstood or made to late,however THEY WERE MADE.My point in all of this was to asset that terrorists are openly targeting civilians in BKK the IRA i assert did not.If that had been the case do you not think that the civlians casualties would have been 1000%higher over 30 years than they actually were??!!Logistically and militarily it would have posed the Provos little problens to drive cars packed into Towns and Citys through-out England and detonated them causing widespread loss of life.THIS DID NOT HAPPEN.Sue in the Birmingham and Guilford bombings tragically there were many deaths again though if you are aware of the facts you will discover warnigs all be it terribly inadequate were issued.The Eniskillen bomb was to target troopos however the bomb some say was set of accidentally.

[SmokeandIce]

Sorry to hijack this thread, but does anyone know about those who were injured by the New Year's Eve bombings? I heard there was an Air India flight attendant who lost a leg. Any news about those people??

[Hollywood]

I really hate to hear this. I have planned a one month stay for July and if there is any problems between now and then I'm cancelling. Too many other countries to visit. I'm allready having my doubts about Thailand as a retirement home with the visa and financial woes. Aloha

[ThaiPauly]

I have been warned that things are gonna kick off again in the middle of this month...well there are only a few days left till then and I hope for Christ's sake that I have been fed bullshit.

It would not be the first time.

[turnip]

Terrorism is about creating terror, fear. By definition, it is not about killing people. Said already, i know, but should be said as often as possible. Because the risk of being hurt by terrorism is much smaller than other risks we take every day. Ride a taxi in bangkok. Cross the street. Drink ten leos. <deleted> a hooker. You're taking a chance.

Life is about living. It's about experience. Trying new things. Stories you can tell you kids and stories you can't.

The risk from terrorism, whether here in asia or europe or the USA should be dealt with in the same way as crossing the street. I take certain precautions, i look, i listen, but i still cross the street.

I choose to live a life.

This is from someone who was a victim of terrorism and who has the scars and who lost someone they loved.

[SeanBangkok]

the majority of TV members and Thailand farang are too old to worry about the possibility of a bomb threath. I mean, a day doesnt pass when I dont see some 60+ yo frng on the skytrain - these guys are old, so its pretty dumb to think they care about some small threath like this. To some extent, farang over 40 yo are killing thailand.

[SeanBangkok]

"The risk from terrorism, whether here in asia or europe or the USA should be dealt with in the same way as crossing the street."

Yeah, that makes a ton of sense. You must be a Yank.

[JacknDanny]

Firstly to all you misinformed morons who appear to think i advocate IRA violence you may find it enlightening to discover that i am a Unionist.If you are as misguided as some of you sound that means i support the link to the Union and hence deplore IRA violence.I was born in Belfast in 1970 and thus think i can talk with a bit more authority about this subject than those of you who are suggsting i am talking rubbish.Let me make this clear.I did not assert that the RA had not killed civilians i was suggesting that they did not OPENLY target them.The main reason for this is that as a terrorist organisation they required the support from within the community.If they went out to randomly main and slaughter civilains that support would have dried up very quickly.For every bomb that was placed in a so called civilian place a telephone warning would have been made.Now on sad occasions these were wither vague or misunderstood or made to late,however THEY WERE MADE.My point in all of this was to asset that terrorists are openly targeting civilians in BKK the IRA i assert did not.If that had been the case do you not think that the civlians casualties would have been 1000%higher over 30 years than they actually were??!!Logistically and militarily it would have posed the Provos little problens to drive cars packed into Towns and Citys through-out England and detonated them causing widespread loss of life.THIS DID NOT HAPPEN.Sue in the Birmingham and Guilford bombings tragically there were many deaths again though if you are aware of the facts you will discover warnigs all be it terribly inadequate were issued.The Eniskillen bomb was to target troopos however the bomb some say was set of accidentally.

I dont want to take this off the topic of Thailand, but I think if you look into the Remembrance Day bombing in Eniskillen, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that certain elite members of the IRA decided to 'up the stakes' in order to persuade the Tory Govt at the time that they were a serious threat.

I was not ,like you, born in Ireland, however in the 80s I was privvy to certain 'delicate 'information.

I dont particularly want to dwell on this issue as there are very strong feelings whichever side of the fence you are looking from.

Hopefully the religious problems of the South do not become anything like the religious problems suffered for many many years in Northern Ireland

[HenryB]

nothing new

You can't fool me Australia wants to build up a big sex business in Darwin and to get the local people more white and keep the money home.

The warning has no truth jkust ask all the memebers Thai vis who live and love Thailand.

[ThaiPauly]

Terrorism is about creating terror, fear. By definition, it is not about killing people. Said already, i know, but should be said as often as possible. Because the risk of being hurt by terrorism is much smaller than other risks we take every day. Ride a taxi in bangkok. Cross the street. Drink ten leos. <deleted> a hooker. You're taking a chance.

Life is about living. It's about experience. Trying new things. Stories you can tell you kids and stories you can't.

The risk from terrorism, whether here in asia or europe or the USA should be dealt with in the same way as crossing the street. I take certain precautions, i look, i listen, but i still cross the street.

I choose to live a life.

This is from someone who was a victim of terrorism and who has the scars and who lost someone they loved.

sorry for your loss.. I applaud your stance

[taxin]

Chill out everyone ! There will be no attacks.

Australia do this every year, 2 reasons.

1. Covering there backsides from what happened in Bali (twice) by giving the "I told you so" message in advance. Something they didnt get the chance to do with Bali (1st time round anyway).

2. Aussie traveling season just around the corner, potential billions in lost revenue for the Australian tourism industry. Nothing more than scare tactics to make you spend your money in OZ where you are "safe".

I mean, what has Australia got in terms of tourism ?

Surfers Paradise: Hugely overpriced accommodation, drunken kids, surfboards, skateboards and aggressive doormen.

Bondi Beach: Same as above, even more surf boards, drunken kids and drunken backpackers.

Cronulla Beach: Safety ?..... I rest my case !

Australian Tourism motto says it all. "So where the bloody hel_l are you ? Not in Australia thats for sure !

[totlanh]

I dont want to take this off the topic of Thailand, but I think if you look into the Remembrance Day bombing in Eniskillen, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that certain elite members of the IRA decided to 'up the stakes' in order to persuade the Tory Govt at the time that they were a serious threat.

I was not ,like you, born in Ireland, however in the 80s I was privvy to certain 'delicate 'information.

I dont particularly want to dwell on this issue as there are very strong feelings whichever side of the fence you are looking from.

Hopefully the religious problems of the South do not become anything like the religious problems suffered for many many years in Northern Ireland

Again,the suggestion with Eniskillen is that British forces themselves may have inadsvertantly triggered the explosion .......

[Totster]

Hi guys..

Please keep the topic about Thailand. The Ireland terrorism subject is a discussion for another place, and not here.

Thanks

Totster