Thailand To Deploy 18,000 Security Personnel At Asean Summit

[tracer]

I can not imagine what there are going to do with 18,000 security people?....but then at any given time at least 9000 will be out eating and maybe another 6000 off duty...

so there is actually only 3000 taking care of security at any given time.....

"Residents" like myself are being issued with ID cards......no ID card no travel ih HH during the summit....at least that's what we were told by a group of "officials" that

came around a couple of week ago....they asked for identity papers (passport in my case) and recorded everything. ID card or not.....I'm outta here before this

thing gets going.......good luck to all the tourists.....

[tracer]

I leave Heathrow tomorrow for 2 weeks in Cha Am, is this going to affect my holiday at all?

Thanks

In a word, yes, you may find it better to have a look at another part of the country at that time, chiang Mai is always nice.

History shows one has a much higher chance of running into a red-ruckus in CM than in Hua Hin or Cha am.... Besides, Hua Hin/Cha am will be the most secure place in Thailand. However, security checks incoming may cause some minor delays and there will likely be a few restricted areas. All unfortunately necessary. There'll be some minor inconvenience but like the last summit on Phuket, they won't be turning tourists away. Enjoy your holiday, should be fine.

guess the beach is a NO GO area but who needs the beach, its raining all day anyway

good luck for all the "service girls" in ca und hh, brings a lot of money to the area.

Is that a good answer? It has been raining since January in Phuket (still does!!). Whatever, if you tell the truth, It has recently been bloody well raining EVERY day . And since I got to Thailand many years ago and lived here I have never seen the climate being what is now... And its NOT global warming as some guys say as its the only thing the politicians have a chance to get money from!

[Ave]

I leave Heathrow tomorrow for 2 weeks in Cha Am, is this going to affect my holiday at all?

Thanks

In a word, yes, you may find it better to have a look at another part of the country at that time, chiang Mai is always nice.

Or perhaps Koh Chang if you prefer the seaside, the sea water there has become just as dirty as the one in the Hua Hin area but at least no ASEAN worries..

[techboy]

18,000 security people ? Wow...... Is it only me that sees the joke of saying >>>>

" The prime minister reiterated that the upcoming summit will prove to other nations that situation in Thailand has returned to normal and the country can organise international meetings.

and then at the same time having 18,000 people guarding the meeting ?? To me that is a bit like having a Russian friend who says Moscow is a safe place to visit, and when you arrive at the Moscow airport he has assigned 10 body guards to you.

Seems like they would be better off with a couple thousand tough guys, instead of a massive swarm of soldiers.......

Been reading a few too many action paperbacks lately, have ya?

[frogz]

I live on Cha Am/Hua Hin boundary close to the Dusit Thani where the conference will take place. The security is just to make sure Red Shirts, Yellow Shirts, Green Shirts, Blue Shirts or whatever don't even think about it.

Your holiday will be fine but take you passport with you when you leave the hotel. Have a nice time in our lovely city.

Totally agree. Absolutely. Cha Am and Hua Hin are great places to visit and I don't think all the extra security will be a problem. Maybe a few traffic jams but that would be about it.

[moskito]

Are they coming by train ?

:D ....good one, but may be they are short on gasoline and need 18k people for carrying the visitors.

btw, I think these 18000 soldiers are not IN CC or HH, they just on the way from the airport to the hotel, just every 10m one of them

It has been raining since January in Phuket (still does!!). Whatever, if you tell the truth, It has recently been bloody well raining EVERY day . And since I got to Thailand many years ago and lived here I have never seen the climate being what is now...

true, I am living since ten years on Phuket and visit it since 22. NEVER before we had weather conditions like this year. Not a single day without rain since nearly two month and more to come....thinking of moving to saudi arabia or antarctica

Dont know if it has something to do with global wOrming but its not normal, not even for rainseason

[Thai at Heart]

It's irrelevant how many are there.

As H90 pointed out, it will be a smattering of people actually watching anything. They hope that by announcing this, nothing will happen.

If the reds, blues, yellows, pinks or blacks have any sense, they will send two guys in nice suits and fake press passes straight through security and egg them all.

[surangw]

looks like the persons planning the meeting ( summit?) did not plan too far ahead, ( read the papers)

they could have held it somewhere with less chance of problems. ( like Hong Kong)

[ramsesxix]

is this why thailand bought new rifles?

no I think they bought it because there is always a nice commission on such purchases.

And always a good market to sell the old ones! maybe Burma?

I understand that there is an arms dealer in a Thai jail now- he could be just the man for the job of disposing of the old firearms...

[h90]

It's irrelevant how many are there.

As H90 pointed out, it will be a smattering of people actually watching anything. They hope that by announcing this, nothing will happen.

If the reds, blues, yellows, pinks or blacks have any sense, they will send two guys in nice suits and fake press passes straight through security and egg them all.

I bet in a Police or Army uniform with some stars on it, you can go everywhere without document.

[Rumfoord]

If the reds, blues, yellows, pinks or blacks have any sense, they will send two guys in nice suits and fake press passes straight through security and egg them all.

dont forget that having the blue shirts in Pattaya was an idea by the Interior Ministry.

Suthep Thaugsuban, the Democrat Party secretary-general and deputy prime minister in charge of national security, in an interview with The Nation

"Chon Buri's authorities told me they had blue shirts, which were part of the Interior Ministry campaign for social unity. We agreed to use the blue shirts. At night I inspected different locations and Newin Chidchob emerged. In fact there were others, such as Suwit Khunkitti. Everyone wanted the summit to go ahead without problems. We agreed to group soldiers, police and civilians and prepared vehicles with sound systems for them to counter the protesters. We wanted to buy time; we needed a little over one day before the summit would be completed.

However, as Pattaya is a tourist city and people wake up late, people who promised to join arrived later than the red shirts. Eventually there were clashes and things didn't go as planned. The soldiers were not prepared for a clash while most of the police had to go to the hotels where foreign leaders stayed, as many red-shirt taxi drivers protested there. (...)

The blue shirts have been distributed by the Interior Ministry all over the country. That is part of a campaign for social peace and unity"

[spongeman]

One at a time going up the rope ladders to the choppers,please gentlemen...........

[Hugh Jarse]

I leave Heathrow tomorrow for 2 weeks in Cha Am, is this going to affect my holiday at all?

Thanks

It wont affect your holiday in any way. Enjoy it, the rain the storms and the lightning shows and dont take the local press (newspapers) at all seriously.don't forget to tip the waiters/esses and put 20 baht under your pilows for room services.

[rogerrhino]

Having read that lot, I don't know who to take notice of. We're also off to Hua Hin next week for two weeks so will be there over the whole piece. The pity is we're introducing two friends to Thailand - not a great introduction to the LOS for them! Does anyone actually know where all these guys are going to be and will they be shouting at us or are we going to be keeping our heads down in the hotel for a fortnight?

Mind you, it could be drier there!

[ding]

Good. The tail wont wag the dog this time!

[Scott]

I don't know why the gov't has to tell everything. The number of security personnel is not something to advertise. Just let people know that security is in place. Unless they want the som tam ladies to know how many to prepare for.

[hjvdhoef]

Thailand to deploy18.000 security personnel at ASEAN Summit

"The prime minister reiterated that the upcoming summit will prove to other nations that situation in Thailand has returned to normal.

Normal for the Thai way.

[Thai at Heart]

I don't know why the gov't has to tell everything. The number of security personnel is not something to advertise. Just let people know that security is in place. Unless they want the som tam ladies to know how many to prepare for.

Absolutely. This kind of statement can have two effects.

One, the press get onto it and start talking about "Police State, Overreaction, Expense, Shows Lack of Ability to get control" etc. Then, if nothing happens, no one cares. Two, if something happens and the authorities can't control it, it leads to "Incompetence, Where was the organisation" headlines.

Very stupid to announce how many people and what type of security plans will be in place.

I state once again, that unless they completely lock down the hotel where this is happening, any plonker in a fake uniform/ID will be able to blag his way in and cause problems.

[pa55i0n]

Make that 18,001... my crazy brother-in-law is planning on his own rouge operation to combat any potential disorder. He is pissed about how it ended up last time and wants to see it go down smoother this time. The thai's sure are interesting, great, but interesting.

[asiawatcher]

Yes Thailand is back to normal with an extra 18,000 security people and the navy running blockade offshore. But let's not forget the environmentalists - yawn - still in the toilet but let's keep the media spreading brown yoghurt...

[seri thai]

18,000? The size of a small army...

[h90]

I don't know why the gov't has to tell everything. The number of security personnel is not something to advertise. Just let people know that security is in place. Unless they want the som tam ladies to know how many to prepare for.

Maybe the number are anyway wrong to confuse the enemy?

18.000 is a large number so maybe there are only 2.000 but they tell 18.000 to scare the red shirts.

[kvenes]

I leave Heathrow tomorrow for 2 weeks in Cha Am, is this going to affect my holiday at all?

Thanks

At the last sumit held in Hua Hin the only disruption was that the police closed the main Petchkasem road

from time to time while the deligates were in transit. And during the actual sumit they made the bars close a little earlier.

I hope that this helps.

[RickBradford]

I leave Heathrow tomorrow for 2 weeks in Cha Am, is this going to affect my holiday at all?

Nah. The only physical danger round those parts is tripping over an elderly Kraut on a zimmer frame, who, due to the poor state of the pavements, has tottered to earth pulling down with him a tiny Thai 'faen' that he found somewhere the evening before.....

[PETERTHEEATER]

The Thai government has bought a fleet of new armoured Range Rovers to ferry the ASEAN VIPs between BKK and Cha-Am/Hua Hin. Thank heavens they wont exceed the speed limit.

[321niti123]

is this why thailand bought new rifles?

no I think they bought it because there is always a nice commission on such purchases.

And always a good market to sell the old ones! maybe Burma?

Yes, those old M16s would have been just fine for this crowd...

If they are going to sell any guns they should probably sell those m1 carbine that they let us use for practice in rotc, half of them still works its just been around 60 years since its been used.

[Maestro]

An off-topic and nonsensical post about TV (television) and the reply to it have been deleted.

--

Maestro

[ryladie99]

The government are more concerned about a terrorist attack by southern separatists or Muslim terrorists from Indonesia or the Phillipines than the red shirts at Hua Hun and Cha-am.

You are right on target?? 100% and thanks for posting??? I, myself really concern about the Southern Separatists and they will never go away. These people do not speak Thai and they do not want to be part of Thai poulation. ( sorry ) They will fight until the end. it is too bad that there are so many beautiful beaches and nice islands to visit. The tourists will gone nut for such wonderful places and fancy hotels...the red shirts might coming into a picture and no one knows..so many army of soldiers. Will they able to do the job?? Thailand needs more tourists and anything goes wrong will inpact the tourists industry. I hope Thailand learned from the last action that happened at the new airport. Well this is my take and opinion.