Suspicious Packages Turned out to Be Harmless

The police are poised to press charges against a snack producer, who came up with a rather 'different' if not inappropriate marketing idea that ended up scaring Bangkok residents across the city this morning.

Before dawn this morning, the police have received several emergency calls from Bangkok residents about suspicious packages left at bus tops across town.

They were wrapped in fancy papers and found scattered in Lad Prao, Kok Kram, and Chok Chai areas of the capital.

Bus passengers and passers-by were horrified by the possibility of another bomb attack, after Bangkok was rocked by widespread explosions on the New Year’s Eve in 2006 that injured and killed a number of city residents.

Bomb squads rushed to all reported areas, and found that all the boxes contained were a new brand of snacks, reportedly produced and distributed by a local company.

The producer of “D-D” snack told reporters that the distribution of the 'surprise' present boxes was a part of the company’s new marketing campaign to introduce its new product.

However, the police now plan to file a legal action against the company for causing public panic, the severity and degree of the charges will depend on the final result of the investigation.

- Thailand Outlook

suspicious packages abound

Bomb squad disarms vibrator

January 16, 2008

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS

STOCKHOLM, Sweden — A Swedish bomb squad called out to disarm a suspicious package on Wednesday did not find a ticking bomb. But they did find a vibrating sex toy.

A janitor alerted police after he found the package in a garage of an apartment building in Goteborg, the country’s second-largest city, police spokesman Jan Strannegard said.

The package was humming and vibrating suspiciously, so police took no chances and sent out a team of explosives experts. After having cordoned off the area, they opened the package with bomb disposal equipment, only to find the battery-operated device inside.

‘‘The package was vibrating when the janitor found it, but I think it had sort of died out by the time it was disarmed,’’ Strannegard said.

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS

Police to summon snack executives whose marketing plan causes bomb fears

Police will soon summon executives of a snack company, whose alleged marketing scheme of placing gift boxes at bus stops in Bangkok's Bueang Kum and Lat Phrao districts on Friday triggered bomb fears and prompted police bomb squads to investigate.

Metropolitan Police Area 4 chief Major General Chisanupong Yuktathat said he had instructed officers at Lat Phrao, Bueang Kum and Khok Khram police stations whose jurisdictions were found with such suspicious gift boxes at bus stops on Friday to find the source of such products.

He also expressed that it was likely to be a marketing scheme rather than coincidence because there are many such boxes.

Lat Phrao Superintendent Colonel Somsak Boonsaeng said officers would swiftly find the origin of such gift boxes and invited company executives to question about their intention of such action. If the executives admitted the gift boxes were the company's, police could initially press a charge of "threatening others to fear", punishable for up to one month in jail and/or Bt1,000 in find, according to Somsak.

- The Nation

Gift boxes like this one are found at bus stops in Bangkok's Bueang Kum and Lat Phrao districts, prompting police bomb squads to investigate on Friday. It is found to be just a marketing promotion activity for Thai snack.

The Nation

Snack pack gives some a bad taste

Police will summon executives of a snack food company which allegedly used irresponsible marketing by placing boxes containing new products at several bus stops around Bangkok, prompting a bomb scare and panicking commuters. Police at Lat Phrao station were alerted by members of the public yesterday morning to three suspicious 8x10-inch boxes wrapped in yellow paper which were left at a bus stop on Kaset-Nawamin road in the Khlong Kum area. The bomb disposal squad was called and rushed to check the boxes with a scanner. The boxes were found to contain a snack pack under the Dee Dee brand produced by Muspro Co with a handwritten message naming a chain of retail outlets where the snack is available. Lat Phrao police yesterday received several phone calls about similarly suspicious objects left in the Khlong Kum area. Police spokesman Pongsapat Pongcharoen said the advertising leaflet from Muspro Co admitted the company had placed the boxes at bus stops in Bangkok to promote their new product. Investigators in charge of the case will summons executives from the firm for questioning, said Pol Lt-Gen Pongsapat. He said police had already sent the company a warning letter, saying that this advertising gimmick caused chaos in public places and

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.net/News/19Jan2008_news02.php

suspicious packages abound

Bomb squad disarms vibrator

January 16, 2008

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS

STOCKHOLM, Sweden — A Swedish bomb squad called out to disarm a suspicious package on Wednesday did not find a ticking bomb. But they did find a vibrating sex toy.

A janitor alerted police after he found the package in a garage of an apartment building in Goteborg, the country’s second-largest city, police spokesman Jan Strannegard said.

The package was humming and vibrating suspiciously, so police took no chances and sent out a team of explosives experts. After having cordoned off the area, they opened the package with bomb disposal equipment, only to find the battery-operated device inside.

‘‘The package was vibrating when the janitor found it, but I think it had sort of died out by the time it was disarmed,’’ Strannegard said.

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS