US Embassy Warns Of Possible Terrorist Attack In Bangkok

[robertthesculptor]

So thanks for nothing, US Embassy. This is propaganda.

No Nikster....

At best, it's a government doing the responsible thing in trying to alert its citizens in a city where a lot of them reside to a supposedly imminent threat.

At it's not best, it's a government trying to cover its a**, so that in the event something big were to happen, no one later could come back (a la Wikileaks or who knows what) and point the finger saying, "You knew and did nothing to alert people."

Given the choice between the Thai approach and the U.S. approach, I'd take the U.S. approach every time.

If things were left up to the Thai government, the whole country would be flooded or terrorized before someone would pop up and say...."Uh... maybe... possibly, we have a small problem here. But don't worry, we don't want to do anything that would hurt our tourism."

In my view, it's a whole lot better that the U.S. Embassy issues the warning and nothing ends up happening vs. all the authorities know, they say nothing, and someplace filled with tourists gets bombed.

+1

the right in the US is very anti Muslim and nothing would make them happier than to have such an attack real or otherwise..and they have the money and connections to make it so. count me cynical

[Jingthing]

the right in the US is very anti Muslim and nothing would make them happier than to have such an attack real or otherwise..and they have the money and connections to make it so. count me cynical

Yes, the US right is very anti-Muslim. No, they aren't going to fabricate an attack. No need to invest in something you can get for free. Iran is working overtime with proxy wars.

[erobando]

I am seriously doubting if anyone has actually been caught at all. More jumping the gun?

"Now Deputy PM Chalerm is quoted as saying 1 Lebanese has been invited for questioning with regards to terrorist threat" No longer arrested, but invited.

http://twitter.com/T...73173505&ref=nf

Wikileaks has already released the first 2 questions to be asked during this invitational meeting:

1) Would prefer pad prik kaeng koong or pad phreo wahn gai?

2) Beer Chang or Beer Singha?

[cowslip]

So if it happens - they say "told you so'

If it doesn't happen - they sat "See, we prevented it"

What are we to believe in the end?

[Lite Beer]

Thailand detains suspect after US attack warning

BANGKOK, January 13, 2012 (AFP) - Thai authorities said Friday they had detained a Lebanese man with suspected links to the Hezbollah militant group, after the United States warned of a terrorist threat against tourists in the kingdom.

"Foreign terrorists may be currently looking to conduct attacks against tourist areas in Bangkok in the near future," the US embassy in Bangkok said in an emergency message posted on its website.

"US citizens are urged to exercise caution when visiting public areas where large groups of Western tourists gather in Bangkok."

A Thai senior intelligence officer who did not want to be named told AFP that the kingdom had been informed before the New Year by Israel of a possible threat.

The suspect was detained Thursday while the other man had already fled the country, he said.

Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung told AFP by telephone that the detained suspect was being questioned by the Thai authorities.

"We already have one suspect in custody for interrogation at a government building in Bangkok. He is a Hezbollah from Lebanon," he said.

"I want to assure people that there is nothing to worry about. The police will take care of the situation and everything will be under control."

Hezbollah, an Iranian- and Syrian-backed Muslim Shiite group, is blacklisted as a terrorist organisation by Washington and currently dominates the Lebanese government.

"Israel was suspicious that these two men might be terrorists, so they gave information, including their names, to our police before the New Year," the senior intelligence officer said.

The suspect has denied involvement with any terrorist activities, he added.

"These two men entered Thailand a while ago but did not conduct any terrorist activity. I wonder why Israel was suspicious about them."

Israel would not confirm or deny a role in the arrest.

"Israel does not comment on security issues," foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said.

The warning is another blow to Thailand's tourist-friendly image, which was badly dented last year by devastating flooding across much of the country, as well as rounds of rival political protests in recent years.

In 2008 a nine-day blockade by "Yellow Shirt" protesters stranded tens of thousands of travellers, and the industry was badly hit again in 2010 during "Red Shirt" street demonstrations.

Bangkok's central shopping area was reduced to a battle zone during an army crackdown on the rallies, and more than 90 people were left dead.

An eight-year-old shadowy insurgency continues to plague the country's Muslim-majority deep south, but the rebels have never been known to attack outside of the region.

The insurgents are not thought to be part of a global jihad movement but rather are rebelling against a long history of perceived discrimination against ethnic Malay Muslims by governments in the Buddhist-majority country.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra also told reporters that authorities in the kingdom had the current situation under control.

"I would like to tell our people and tourists that there is nothing to worry about," she said.

In the most prominent terrorist attack in Southeast Asia in recent history, 202 people -- most of them foreign tourists -- were killed in 2002 by bombings on the Indonesian island of Bali.

In August 2003, alleged mastermind Riduan Isamuddin, an Indonesian known as Hambali, was arrested in Thailand.

He was suspected of being Al-Qaeda's representative in Southeast Asia and operational chief of Southeast Asian militant group Jemaah Islamiyah.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2012-01-13

[fred110]

Thailand just arrested a terrorist.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/14/world/asia/arrest-in-thailand-after-us-terror-alert.html

[clip]

Who would want to hits us over here in Bangkok?

...

You're joking, right?

Soft Targets. Bali. Mumbai. Google is your friend ...

not to mention 4 american soldiers urinating on dead muslims , come on .. its not rocket science here !!!

[Scott]

A large number of posts have been deleted.

Please stay on the topic. It is about a threat issued by the American Embassy. There are a number of topics in the world news if you wish to comment on American politics and involvement in other countries.

Not here, though, please.

[DavidMavec]

Who would want to hits us over here in Bangkok? Doesn't add up. I wonder if the threats are indeed foreign or related to some recent foreign involvement/comments in the politics over here...

Remember Bali? The thing is besides a nightclub I can't think of anywhere that would not have the locals out-numbering tourists 10-1.

They want Israelis? Haad Rin beach in KPG is where they congregate.

[SteeleJoe]

Who would want to hits us over here in Bangkok? Doesn't add up. I wonder if the threats are indeed foreign or related to some recent foreign involvement/comments in the politics over here...

Whether there is indeed an actual danger or not there's nothing odd about the alleged threat being in Bangkok; how does it "not add up"? In what way does the fact that it's Thailand make Americans and/or Europeans a less attractive target to certain groups?

Did Bali add up more? And there is much reason to believe that Jemaah Islamiyah-- a group affiliated with al Queda -- had a series of targets planned here not long ago. (And let's see -- any reason why an Islamic terror group based next door to the southern Muslim insurgency have a grievance with Thailand?)

Bangkok is no less likely than African embassies and would be chosen by modern groups to strike Americansor their allies for the same reason it was chosen by Palestinian groups decade ago to strike Israelis -- it's what's known as a "soft target"; for a number of reasons it's arguably easier to strike here than the US.

[SteeleJoe]

Oops. Didn't realize I hadn't read the whole thread (and haven't got time to do so --- pardon the redundancy.

[Jingthing]

to understand this "message" from the US it is important to get a feel for the nature of US foreign policy and their relations (I use the word loosely) with the rest of the world.

It's a field day for America bashers, isn't it? I have a mind to write my congress-transexual and ask s/he to keep these warnings TOP SECRET for Americans only in future. Edited January 13, 2012 by Jingthing

[bubba]

What's this from CBC Canada?

"Bangkok terrorist threat warning ends"

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2012/01/13/bangkok-us-citizens-attack-warning.html

[Nowhereman60]

I believe this message was put out to American and now american basting troll are out in full force, just can't pass up an opportunity can you. Every country has it problems take care of your own dirty laundry. But it's funny you go to the American consulate and see lines of people trying to get a visa to coming to this country. Wonder what is wrong with those people.

Edited January 13, 2012 by Nowhereman60

[moskito]

A large number of posts have been deleted.

Please stay on the topic. It is about a threat issued by the American Embassy. There are a number of topics in the world news if you wish to comment on American politics and involvement in other countries.

Not here, though, please.

sorry Scott, but THIS IS WORLD POLITICS .... they cant think their politics will go on forever and if I read things like: ....the kingdom had been informed before the New Year by Israel of a possible threat...." its nothing else but WORLD Politics. Where is the difference between Mossad and CIA? between the USA and ISRAEL? ....little bit to obviously this time.... I am sorry for all the UScitizens wich are normal people with a brain...not every USAmerican is behind Bush, Rumpsfeld or the politics of the THEM... a little bit more educational background is needed here

[bubba]

And now the Israelis have issued their notice, warning Israeli citizens not to travel to Bangkok:

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israelis-warned-of-imminent-terror-attack-in-bangkok-1.407210

[bulmercke]

So, what's the over/under on how many months it takes before the US claims they have "evidence" that this "foiled terrorist plot" was funded by Venezuela?

That wouldn't surprise me.

[SteeleJoe]

Who would want to hits us over here in Bangkok?

...

You're joking, right?

Soft Targets. Bali. Mumbai. Google is your friend ...

If the target was that soft (and valuable) surely we would've been hit multiple times here already -- is my thinking. Why now?

"Soft target" and "high value" are contradictory -- precisely why they are soft (and sometimes chosen).

[frodo]

I'm rather confused at this point.

First it was Chalerm saying two terrorist suspects had entered Thailand, they know their whereabouts and arrests should be made by evening. Within a few hours, Chalerm states two Lebanese had been arrested. Later we get, one man had fled, while the other invited for questioning.

Now we get one was arrested yesterday (Thursday).

The stories are so out of sync and no photo opp's yet, which Chalerm is rather famous for. I'm not holding my breath anyone has actually been caught.

[chooka]

Who would want to hits us over here in Bangkok? Doesn't add up. I wonder if the threats are indeed foreign or related to some recent foreign involvement/comments in the politics over here...

Who wanted to hit the tourists in Bali????

[SteeleJoe]

Today is Friday 13th, perhaps terrorists want to make a day we won't forget. We ought to take these warnings seriously.

Bangkok isn't the only place with high profile western tourist soft targets in Thailand. I am skeptical that they only mentioned Bangkok.

Presumably they had specific intelligence that the strike would be in Bangkok. Would they mention Omaha if there was a strike planned for Boston?

[baboon]

I was in the kitchen a minute ago, but I thought I heard the Australian authorities are now warning their citizens. Did I mishear?

[chooka]

Looks like us Aussies are safe, no warnings from the Australian Government. Could the Americans here wear a USA sticker just above thier left breast so that those of us from the rest of the world can be sure we are not standing next to them when the shit goes down.

[lovetotravel]

I believe this message was put out to American and now american basting troll are out in full force, just can't pass up an opportunity can you. Every country has it problems take care of your own dirty laundry. But it's funny you go to the American consulate and see lines of people trying to get a visa to coming to this country. Wonder what is wrong with those people.

Can you imagine the complaining here if something had happened, the US knew about it, but didn't tell anyone? You just can't win with these people.

[metisdead]

It is perfectly acceptable to report on events and give opinions, it is not acceptable to post in a manner in which to bash any specific country.Several posts have been removed.

[moskito]

Who would want to hits us over here in Bangkok? Doesn't add up. I wonder if the threats are indeed foreign or related to some recent foreign involvement/comments in the politics over here...

Who wanted to hit the tourists in Bali????

just a theorie BUT .... if ONE people is killed, police is always looking for the people wich gain something from it.... so who gained from the Bali bombing? ....or who gained something from the wtc "attack" ...

[wxyz]

if the people in this group had HONOR,,,

they would not belong to such a group,,,

the people of HONOR have left this group and groups like it,,,

[Jingthing]

No mister, because they have saboutaged our somtam with macdonald's. That is the crime of the century!!

Someone forced you to eat that crap?

No, I did not say that. Not quite forcing. Simply worse. Brain washing us to think that it is good for us. Similar to the hollywood movies that tells the world that the Red Indian is a savage, the black man is bad, the Asians/Chinese are weak .... and so on.

Your complaint is with multinational corporations then. Nothing to do with the US government or people.

[tpthai2]

Not sure if I can "Post" this. "United States authorities had informed the Thai government that two suspected Muslim terrorists had entered Thailand. Defense Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapha told reporters, "Our intelligence officials are working closely with the US and following the terrorists' movements closely. I believe we will arrest them tonight," he added.

"For Thai citizens, there is no need to announce any warning because it will cause panic and will affect tourism."

[Jingthing]

Not sure if I can "Post" this. "United States authorities had informed the Thai government that two suspected Muslim terrorists had entered Thailand. Defense Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapha told reporters, "Our intelligence officials are working closely with the US and following the terrorists' movements closely. I believe we will arrest them tonight," he added.

"For Thai citizens, there is no need to announce any warning because it will cause panic and will affect tourism."

It's been posted already. The Thai government attitude is so paternal like they think the Thai people are little children who can't handle any truth.