Steps Urged To Ease Tourists' Fears After South Attacks: Thailand

[webfact]

Steps urged to ease tourists' fears after South attacks

The Nation

THAILAND: -- Carbomb attacks in Yala and Hat Yai district in Songkhla have badly affected tourism and local businesses, and a quick recovery is important in salvaging plunging visitor confidence in Thailand, hoteliers and business operators said yesterday.

A large number of tourists from Malaysia and Singapore who remain in Thailand have been relocated to other lodgings. While the heavily damaged Lee Gardens hotel is being inspected for safety and security, visitors' luggage and travel documents are being collected and returned to them, said Suraphol Kamphalanonthawat, head of tourism business in Songkhla.

"Panic among tourists is apparent and inevitable. It depends on how quickly we can rebuild their confidence in Thailand," he added.

The head of hotel business in Songkhla and Hat Yai, Somchart Phimthanaphoonphorn, said measures to draw tourists for preSongkran celebrations were being readjusted to get them back in two weeks. He added that 25,000 tourists booked Hat Yaibased rooms last year from April 1 until after the end of Songkran in midApril, generating around Bt300 million in income for local businesses.

"I'm not sure the figure can reach half that amount this year," he added.

Songkhla governor Krissada Bunraj said that apart from the damage to property, the economy and tourism in Songkhla had been badly affected, the public's confidence hurt and business opportunities lost.

Praphas Inthanapasat, a senior local Tourism Authority of Thailand official, said the Hat Yai Songkran Midnight Festival would continue as planned, to boost tourist confidence. He expressed belief in the capacity of officials to maintain security during the Songkran holiday break, which falls from April 1316 this year.

The secretarygeneral of the Federation of Thai Industries, Sommat Khunset, called for tighter control authorities, saying security and counterinsurgency operations in the three southernmost provinces were not enough to ensure overall safety in areas at risk of insurgent violence.

"The authorities must realise and make sure that such violence will not recur and the security issue in the South should be handled with importance equal to the ongoing water management planning to cope with floods this year," he added.

The chairman responsible for policies at the Tourism Council of Thailand, Kongkrit Hiranyakrit, dubbed the multiple car bombs the worst incident, greater even than the past travel advisory against coming to Thailand issued by many countries.

The mayor of Hat Yai municipality, Phrai Phatthano, said that rebuilding tourist confidence would require at least two years and negative media coverage of the blasts and followups would keep the issue hot. He called on Hat Yai residents to watch out for clues and suspicious signs.

-- The Nation 2012-04-02

[webfact]

Alert for car bombs in the South

The Nation

Police given list of stolen cars to look for after series of deadly bombs in Yala and Hat Yai on Saturday

HAT YAI: -- An alert has gone out about four missing vehicles in Hat Yai, because of fear they may be used in car-bomb attacks, Hat Yai police said yesterday.

Local residents have been urged to watch out for a black Honda Civic, a blue Isuzu pickup, a gold Isuzu pickup and a white Toyota Tiger pickup.

Hat Yai police, meanwhile, inspected local apartments looking for new arrivals or short-term tenants, who may be insurgents preparing for future attacks.

A message spread by journalists and later among Twitter users said there could be three other cars on the police watchlist, bringing the possible total to seven. Licence plate numbers were also provided.

A group of insurgents who are Yala locals has been identified as possibly behind the blasts in Yala on Saturday. Police yesterday released photos of Sahudin Tohjehma, a resident from Raman district sought for allegedly leading the group. Security sources said they had also detected links between the suspect and recent shootings of civilians by men dressed in police uniform.

Security camera footage shows one of the two bomb-laden cars parked at the scene, before the driver got out and was picked up by a man on a motorbike. Officials and police in Hat Yai are still reviewing the footage and have not released details about possible key assailants and accomplices.

A "safe zone" around Ruam Mit Street in Yala will be set up soon to allow vendors and small businesses to continue trading.

Police said one of the cars used to carry explosives in Hat Yai, another black Honda Civic, belonged to Thanasorn Kuasuk, a local politician in Narathiwat. It was stolen by gunmen after they shot him dead in an ambush last October.

Deputy Prime Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapha, speaking yesterday after a meeting of officials from agencies handling national security, said the attacks were prompted by effective suppression of illegal trade and

narcotics in the South. The drug-related link was confirmed by the spokesman of the Fourth Army Area, Colonel Pramote Phrom-in.

Security has been heightened in two other provinces in the deep South - Narathiwat and Pattani - where no bombs have been set off in recent days.

The minister said the blasts in Hat Yai went off before 6pm, as foreign Muslim tourists would hit the streets after that.

Songkhla governor Krissada Boonraj admitted security officials were at fault for the bomb attack at the Lee Gardens Hotel and apologised for failing to provide adequate security. New security plans were being worked out to cope with heightened risk, he said.

Two people of the three killed in Hat Yai were a married couple - Malaysian Low Tsian Hock and Thai wife Suphaphorn Janchaiyaphum, Hat Yai police said.

A large number of Malaysian tourists are lodging complaints

with police, to use the complaint paper as evidence to get a temporary pass to return to their home country, as luggage and travel documents were in the Lee Gardens Hotel, which has been closed for entry pending security inspections.

The watch at border checkpoints has also been boosted to look for suspicious individuals. A Liberian woman with a 14-year-old son was detained at a checkpoint in Songkhla after the boy was found to have entered Thailand illegally.

National police chief Priewpan Damapong, spoke after inspecting the Lee Gardens Hotel yesterday. He said the explosion at the hotel was a car bomb, ending early speculation and that it was a different type of attack to bombs in Yala.

An independent analyst who asked not to be named - said the car laden with explosive was parked on level four of the hotel's five-storey underground car park on purpose. He said the attackers wanted to use fuel in more than 100 cars to multiply the blast, to try to weaken the hotel's structure and possibly cause it to collapse.

"This has been discussed among a small circle of people, and I don't want to expand this theory further on, as it would benefit the insurgents, who want to basically terrorise anyway," he said.

-- The Nation 2012-04-02

[BookMan]

I hear 'theBlether' is holidaying in Hat Yai soon.

It will be good to hear if he felt safe there on his holiday.

edit ..(i read another article and answered my question)

Edited April 1, 2012 by BookMan

[LuckyLew]

Send Thaksin there, I am sure he thinks he can solve this issue in one day

If not, maybe the people in the south can solve Thailands most devisive issue

[Bluespunk]

Midnight festival? No way in hell going anywhere near that.

[JeffreyMcCollum]

Bad air up north

Bombings south

Flooding in the mid sections

Scams at all the tourist spots

is there anywhere else for them to go to get away from the danger and negitive press ?

Can't wait to get there, Oh yes, I will have to wait in long lines and bad attitudes at the airport

Edited April 2, 2012 by metisdead
Bold font removed.

[AZBill]

I'm having second thoughts about Sonkran in BK! Such big crowds of foreigners and locals may be too hard for a terrorist to resist! The Thai police have already shown they can't stop anyone, even when tipped off. Maybe just stay home this year.

[WhizBang]

Perhaps Suraphol Kamphalanonthawat, head of tourism business in Songkhla, should be more concerned with the safety of people (all people), rather than worrying so much about lost tourist dollars.

In fact, TAT would do well to start applying pressure on the government to start solving Thailand's real tourist problems... corrupt police, bad air up north, terrorists down south and, yes, all those tourist scams. Solve those issues and the evaporating tourist dollars will solve itself.

[harada]

Just another one to add to the long list.

[jerrysteve]

The Thai Governementy is kind of like a text book example of an Absentee Landlord. They like the money that is derived from those provinces,

and unfortunately nothing else. The Government has always had 2 choices. They have always had to 2 Choices. To be a Big Part of the Problem

or a Big Part of the Solution

Unfortunately for Thailand, they have chosen the Former. They are as guilty for the sensless killings and violence which has plagued that region as the Islamic Terriorst are.

[zakk9]

Why don't they just send out a press release saying "It did not happen"? That should solve the problem, shouldn't it? It can be used for other things as well, flooding, fatal traffic accidents, pollution in the north etc.

[mowgus]

Evaporating tourist dollars? TAT would have us believe tourism is up! At least according to the Swampy stats....nothing to worry about!

The headline "Steps Urged To Ease Tourist Fears...." kind of sickened me. Uhhh...shouldn't tourists (and locals for that matter) be concerned? Wouldn't fear for their safety in Hat Yai be logical at this point?!

If I had planned to be in Hat Yai for Songkran (which I wouldn't), I would cancel. If you ask me, it is too ripe a target for these cowards to pass up.

[OzMick]

Ease tourist fears is a little more difficult than telling transparent lies. Amsterdam might be available, he tells lies nicely obfuscated.

Solving the problems might work, even if not the first thing to come to mind.

[Ned]

The poorest three provinces in the country. Natural wealth of the area all heads up to the capital.

[heiwa]

“If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that”

Bring former murderer Prime Minisiter Taskin back. Why is there not outrage at him? Why is he not doing 500 years in a Thai jail? Get him to do another Tak Bai Massacre on a grander scale. That will shut the terroists up. Where there is injustice there will be revenge according to Shakespeare above. From a Thai buddhist view point ethnic Malay Muslims in the deep South are sub human like farang in the re-incarnation cycle. Buddhism gives license for the most brutal treatment of people they feel under them. Look at how many farang are murdered in Thailand by Thai buddhists (including policemen) and scammed by Thai buddhists and their brothers = husbands 555 - dear country folk.

In October 2004 the town of Tak Bai in Narathiwat province saw the most publicized incident of the insurgency. Six local men were arrested for having supplied weapons to insurgents. A demonstration was organized to demand their release and the police called in army reinforcements. The army used tear gas and water cannons on the crowd, and shooting started in which seven men were killed.

Hundreds of local people, mostly young men, were arrested. They were made to take off their shirts and lie on the ground. Their hands were tied behind their backs. Later that afternoon, they were thrown by soldiers into trucks to be taken to the Ingkayutthaboriharn army camp in the nearby province of Pattani. The prisoners were stacked five or six deep in the trucks, and by the time the trucks reached their destination five hours later, in the heat of the day, 78 men had suffocated to death.

This incident sparked widespread protests across the south, and indeed across Thailand, since many non-Muslim Thais were appalled at the army's behaviour. Thaksin, however, gave the army his full support. Those responsible for the ill-treatment and death of the detainees received the most minor of non-custodial punishments. Thaksin's initial response was to defend the army's actions, saying that the 78 men died "because they were already weak from fasting during the month of Ramadan."

Charges were filed against 58 suspects accused of participating in the demonstration. The trials went on at a slow place, and As of October 2006, the court had finished questioning of only two out of the 1,500 witnesses in the case. Police were also unable to find 32 Tak Bai protesters who were still at large after fleeing arrest.^[40]

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont gave a formal apology for the incident on 2 November 2006.^[41] The day afterwards, the number of violent acts increased fivefold, compared to the average in the preceding month.^[42]

Edited April 2, 2012 by heiwa

[swillowbee]

... "Steps Urged To Ease Tourist Fears...."

... ah! ... brilliant idea! ... tourist fears, eh? ... well, how noble of the Thai government, to protect tourists (and the tourist's wallets that they so desperately covet).

... but, hey ... what about the daily fears of Pattani civilians who live in a civil war zone?

... let's see ... step #1 ... bring in the UN!

... this has Aceh written all over it! ... this problem has persisted for decades, well beyond Thailand's capabilities to solve ... until then, expect a continued strategy of protracted, slow bleeding, wearing down Thai resolve, resulting in increasingly desperate moves by the Thai government, which serve nothing but to exacerbate the animosities ... and, of course ... more civilian deaths (averaging about 600 annually over the last 10 years).

... wish a spotlight could shine on this special little corner of Thai hell, for the world to see yet another carefully concealed face of real Thailand.

Edited April 2, 2012 by swillowbee

[chrisinth]

TAT have to man-up. All this nonsense about easing tourist's fears is, in a word, b0llocks!

Tourists should be given a list of the danger provences for their own safety. It would stand TAT better by doing this than glossing over a potential disaster waiting to happen.

Could you imagine what would happen if a tour bus got caught up in a bomb incident with multiple casualties? There would be no coming back from that if it was already deemed as a danger area and the tourists weren't informed.

Preventitive action works!

[metisdead]

An overly derogatory post directed at Thais has been removed:

7) Not to post slurs or degrading comments directed towards any group on the basis of race, nationality, religion, gender or sexual orientation.

8) Not to post extremely negative views of Thailand or derogatory comments directed towards all Thais.

[swillowbee]

... oh, soooo sorry, chrisinth ... there exist no word equivalents in the Thai language for 'prevention' ... nor, 'planning' ... nor, 'responsibility' ... nor, 'anticipate' ... nor, 'pre-empt' ... nor, 'pro-active'.

... these are unneeded concepts in a passified society, taught through Thai Theravada Buddhism that they cannot influence their destinies, which are predestined by what they did in their last lives ... (what a remarkable stroke of luck, this pervasive socio-religious programming, if you are an entitled Thai elite determined to maintain for generations your dominion above the unwashed masses).

... many other important things missing here that relate to human values, many of which are fundamental human values and are notably missing from the lexicon of Thailand's cultural values, over which I will not rant here this morning.

Edited April 2, 2012 by swillowbee

[webfact]

Security Tightened at Bus Stations After Latest Blasts in the South

BANGKOK: -- The Transport Ministry has ordered stricter security at all bus stations in the wake of multiple bomb blasts in Songkhla and Yala provinces on Saturday, while the Tourism Authority of Thailand is insisting that the main Songkran celebration in Songkhla's Hat Yai District will be held as scheduled.

Transport Minister Jarupong Ruangsuwan said after presiding over the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the ministry that he has ordered stricter security measures at all bus stations following a string of bomb blasts in the southern provinces of Songkhla and Yala.

Transport Company President Wutthichat Kalayanamit said security has been heightened at all provincial bus terminals, with additional surveillance cameras installed.

He added the company is also working closely with local police to prevent possible attacks.

Airports of Thailand President Anirut Thanomkulabutr said security at all airports have been tightened to prevent disruptive incidents, while the security level at the Hat Yai international airport is maintained at Level 3.

Anirut affirmed that no flights to Hat Yai have been canceled despite the bombing incident at the Lee Gardens Plaza Hotel.

Tourism Authority of Thailand, or TAT, Governor Suraphon Svetserani has instructed the TAT office in Hat Yai to keep tabs on the situation and coordinate with the Thai Hotels Association and the Hat Yai Tourism Association to provide assistance to international tourists in case that they need to move to another hotel.

TAT offices in Malaysia and Singapore were also instructed to provide constant updates on the situation to travel agencies and local tourists.

Songkhla's Hat Yai District will host a main Songkran festival as scheduled from April 11 to 13.

The event will take place at Sanehanusorn and Nipatuthit 3 roads. A press conference for the event will be held on April 5.

-- Tan Network 2012-04-02

[heiwa]

If you would read Shakespeare and Hegel you would understand it is impossible to stop this. A community wronged leads to revenge. When your whole family has been wiped out by the national army and to add insult to injury they go unpunished some don't mind becoming a suicide bomber. Perhaps sadly we must just accept this is the way the world is and innocent tourists get unfairly caught up in it. I guess if the 3 provinces of the deep South went the way of Aceh it could not be worse than it is now. With over 5,000 dead, 15,000 maimed (=very unhappy existence= burns to 90% of their body = lost eyesight=no legs etc etc) I see it so often down here. Is it really worth it? What is wrong with homogenous societies? It works for Japan? It used to work for England and France. Look at England and France and the tension they are having with Muslims. Melting pots sooner or later explode. Good for the arms dealers. The ethic Malays just want to be left alone. Let them rest like you and I and I am sure there will be peace and innocent tourists like you and I will not have to die. There must be a better way!

“If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that”

Edited April 2, 2012 by heiwa

[welbymd]

Attacks and killings have been going on for a long time down south. It seems that these are not terrorists as like what happened in Bangkok back in February, at least as far as what the government releases in the press. There seems to be a mentality that its not even happeneing. At what point is a domestic terror attack and a foreign terror attack not the same? From my perspective, and what I see and read about, there is a huge disconnect between what happens at the big tourist areas and the southern "problem". Is there even a plan to end what is happeneing down south? I don't recall, and there has not been anything released recently dealing with a plan. It just seems like it goes on forever. Every few days another person is ambushed or a bomb goes off. The separtist issue is getting more dangerous by the week.

A plan to hope that this blows away...no pun intended...and we can hurry up and make tourist "money" again is like burying their heads in the sand. I've always wanted to visit southern Thailand, but its definitely been removed from "my do and see" list.

[heiwa]

And sadly so many young innocent Thai Buddhist and Thai Muslim soldiers dying and maimed (the poor guys selling lottery tickets all over Thailand) for this lunacy because the government sees that to appear to be in control the necessity to dilute the homogeneous Thai Muslim ethnic Malay culture just as the murderous Chinese regime sees fit to dilute the Tibetan culture. And the international community stays silent. Why can't Thais accept and celebrate the diversity of their ethnic minorities. It would be wonderful for tourism. Foreigners visiting the ethnic sea gypsies of the deep South. The Chinese attempt to destroy the Tibetan culture does not help tourism.

Edited April 2, 2012 by heiwa

[heiwa]

Oh but everyone gets what they deserve with Buddhism so why worry. I am killed and I am maimed because I deserved it. Humanity is not something that needs to be considered. Leave it all up to Karmic forces. I am about to vomit....

[pauljones]

I wonder if the TAT knows the TukTuk drivers on Silom and Sukhumvit tell tourists to stay away from the Grand Palace because of bombs going off?

Yes. They tell this to tourists so they can be diverted into a scam operation.

Thousands of tourist then go home and tell everybody that it's too dangerous to visit the main attractions.

[heiwa]

I wonder if the TAT knows the TukTuk drivers on Silom and Sukhumvit tell tourists to stay away from the Grand Palace because of bombs going off?

Yes. They tell this to tourists so they can be diverted into a scam operation.

Thousands of tourist then go home and tell everybody that it's too dangerous to visit the main attractions.

22 years ago they told me it was closed because of a public holiday and got me in a gem scam. Of course I deserved to be ripped off. I had bad karma from a past life and that's why I was born a lowly farang/foreigner/cockroach easy prey for the rural folk. Edited April 2, 2012 by heiwa

[Skywalker69]

"Steps urged to ease tourists' fears after South attacks"

Shoulden´t it be Steps urged to make tourists feel safe after South attacks?

Shows that PTP thinks more of the dollar than tourists.

[chrisinth]

... oh, soooo sorry, chrisinth ... there exist no word equivalents in the Thai language for 'prevention' ... nor, 'planning' ... nor, 'responsibility' ... nor, 'anticipate' ... nor, 'pre-empt' ... nor, 'pro-active'.

... these are unneeded concepts in a passified society, taught through Thai Theravada Buddhism that they cannot influence their destinies, which are predestined by what they did in their last lives ... (what a remarkable stroke of luck, this pervasive socio-religious programming, if you are an entitled Thai elite determined to maintain for generations your dominion above the unwashed masses).

... many other important things missing here that relate to human values, many of which are fundamental human values and are notably missing from the lexicon of Thailand's cultural values, over which I will not rant here this morning.

That is of course true, but it is not the Thai's destinies that we are talking about. I would have big doubts if tourism was taught through Thai Theravada Buddhism, but it exists.

Tourism is a money cow for Thailand, protect it. Or was that not taught either?

[heiwa]

... oh, soooo sorry, chrisinth ... there exist no word equivalents in the Thai language for 'prevention' ... nor, 'planning' ... nor, 'responsibility' ... nor, 'anticipate' ... nor, 'pre-empt' ... nor, 'pro-active'.

... these are unneeded concepts in a passified society, taught through Thai Theravada Buddhism that they cannot influence their destinies, which are predestined by what they did in their last lives ... (what a remarkable stroke of luck, this pervasive socio-religious programming, if you are an entitled Thai elite determined to maintain for generations your dominion above the unwashed masses).

... many other important things missing here that relate to human values, many of which are fundamental human values and are notably missing from the lexicon of Thailand's cultural values, over which I will not rant here this morning.

That is of course true, but it is not the Thai's destinies that we are talking about. I would have big doubts if tourism was taught through Thai Theravada Buddhism, but it exists.

Tourism is a money cow for Thailand, protect it. Or was that not taught either?

You are not going to stop this. Where there is cruel injustice like perpetrated by Mr. Taksin (Takbai massacre) there will be revenge especially with Muslims who put prime importance in life and do not believe in karma. The security did their job. They never missed a car. They checked every car without fail. So it appears there was a failure in the checking process. However, it would only turn to suicide bombing if they made it too difficult. My concern is that to internationalize this further they could turn to Phuket with a Bali style bombing. It is time for an international arrest warrant for Mr. Taksin for the Tak Bai massacre. Action like this will stop an inevitable Bali style bombing.

[DoctorG]

I have half a plan to travel south to Malaysia on the train in May. That line has to be a target and I am giving serious consideration to flying instead.