Terror Warning: Hat Yai Bomb Alert

[george]

TERROR WARNING: Hat Yai bomb alert

Police fear hotels, stores, apartments, station may be targeted over Christmas, New Year

HAT YAI: Police in Hat Yai yesterday alerted members of the business community of the possibility of car-bomb attacks during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Operators of hotels, department stores, restaurants and apartment buildings attended the meeting to learn about the risk of terrorist acts and how to prevent them, said district police chief Colonel Sakorn Thongmunee.

"Terrorists and other criminals may well be among the influx of visitors - both Thai and foreign - to Hat Yai during the holiday season," the police chief said.

"We should pay much more attention to the possibility of car bombs," he added.

Hat Yai-Songkhla Hotel Association chairman Somchart Pimthanapoonporn said all hotels in the association had boosted security.

All hotels in Songkhla province are expected to increase the number of security guards and will carefully inspect all cars passing through their premises, he said.

Last week, all flowerpots and benches were removed from Hat Yai railway station in order to improve security. The station is removing all objects that could be used to hide explosives, said station chief Amnart Chan-gnuluam.

The largest railway station in the South has been bombed several times in recent years.

A seven-member police squad has been assigned to guard it around the clock, Amnart said.

Officers will conduct hourly patrols to prevent any undesirable incidents, he said.

As yet, there have been no attempted acts of terrorism or sabotage, but authorities are aware of the need to be careful as Christmas and New Year approach, he said.

Police will search all vehicles entering or passing the station for bombs, he added.

--The Nation 2003-12-07

[george]

Update:

Bomb threat in Hat Yai

SONGKHLA - Authorities have stepped up security in Hat Yai district following a tip-off that terror networks planned to stage car bombings in the area.

"We are on high alert", Provincial Police Region 9 commissioner Lt-General Prung Boonpadung said. He confirmed reports that intelligence sources had gathered information about the car-bomb plot.

He identified the most risky period as beginning from December 1 and lasting through until this Wednesday, with residential areas and hotels as likely targets.

Prung said the terrorists had switched their targets from the deep southern provinces to Songkhla after the border provinces put up stringent measures to protect themselves. "Police officers in Songkhla are now also working seriously to prevent any sabotage," he said.

Hat Yai train station chief Amnart Chan-ngulerm said he had already ordered that all trains be parked 30 metres away from the station to ensure good visibility. "That means our security guards and closed-circuit cameras can see things more clearly, without the trains blocking the sight," he said.

Currently, all vehicles including motorcycles entering the train station are subject to strict checks. "We remain vigilant," Amnart added.

--The Nation 2003-12-08

[RickFarang]

"As yet, there have been no attempted acts of terrorism or sabotage, but authorities are aware of the need to be careful as Christmas and New Year approach, he said."

There have been acts of terrorism in the South for several years, including the bombings mentioned in the article. These bombings have been reinterpreted as acts of criminals rather than terrorists. What's the difference?

RickF