SPECIAL REPORT
Case of Indian fugitive exposes security flaws
The Sunday Nation

Tara

BANGKOK: -- Leak of alert message, contradicting information and overall confusion reveal Thailand's lack of preparedness

The recent news of India seeking Thailand's assistance to hunt for Jaktar Singh Tara, a Sikh terrorist convicted of assassinating Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh with a car bomb in 1995, has received much public attention and also brought into focus Thailand's lack of preparedness to handle terrorism.

Despite India discreetly reaching out to Thailand for help in locating the terrorist, the news still leaked to the public, reportedly because the alert message was circulated among security officers in the far South via "Line" chat application.

The alert message mentioned the ISI of Pakistan, which further excited people as they mistook it for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which is being hunted down by the US and its allies, when actually it meant Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence.

The initial information about Tara given out by Thai authorities also was confusing and contradicting. While the Thai public had heard that Tara, who reportedly tunnelled out of an Indian maximum-security jail in 2004, might be lying low in the far South to cross over into Malaysia and travel to Pakistan, the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) Region 4 front command - the alleged source of the news leak - as well as the Royal Thai Army insisted this was old news.

They said India had contacted Thailand as well as other countries in the region quite a while ago and that there was no evidence to show the wanted man was in Thailand or was involved with the restive situation in the far South, which also saw some car-bomb attacks.

But Immigration Police then confirmed that Tara had sneaked into Thailand on September 7, using a fake name, and that the Indian government had confirmed that it was him.

Tara, who gave a false address in Bangkok's Lat Krabang area, was suspected to have stayed behind in Thailand while the persons who brought him in had left the country, police said, adding he had been in and out of Thailand five times, using a fake name on a Pakistani passport.

The fuzziness of this case prompted Thai national security agencies to integrate information. They drew up the following conclusions about Tara; the man who escaped India and travelled to Thailand was the same person involved in the assassination of the Punjab chief minister in 1995; this wanted man had travelled in and out of Thailand using a Pakistani passport; he had entered Thailand on September 7 and had not left the country; and the Thai court's arrest warrant for this man was as per the agreement with the Interpol.

Despite clarity finally, many people were concerned about Thailand's handling of this case. What if Thai police had arrested the man but the Pakistani government had claimed he was its citizen because he owned a real Pakistani passport? Would this lead to a problem in the man's extradition? Would the alert message quoting Pakistan's ISI cause a problem between Thailand and Pakistan? And, another key concern was it has been frequent that the alerts via "Line" chat application in the southern border provinces were leaked because of the group chats that sometimes also included others who were not national security officers.

The leak of the alert message prompted the Thai central authority to look for a change because such leaks would yield more bad results than good ones - particularly the impact on public confidence about security, the impact on tourism and the impact on ties with other countries.

The confusing information given at first by security agencies also reflected Thailand's lack of preparedness, as well as the lack of information integration, unity among related agencies and a "clear-cut", responsible host agency in handling terrorist movements.

As Southeast Asia is at greater risk because of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) campaign to create a network of warriors in Muslim-majority areas like Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, southern Philippines and southern Thailand, this can be worrisome.

The Asean intelligence agencies' meeting in September in Philippines heard delegates expressing concerns about the ISIS campaign. Although Thailand has not yet seen its citizens joining the ISIS like Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Australia, the Kingdom remains vulnerable because it is an open country where people can enter or leave easily even as the unrest in the deep South continues.

As ISIS also uses social media to propagate its ideology and recruit fighters, which is difficult to block, the Southeast Asia Regional Workshop on Countering Online Extremist Narratives, therefore, will be organised from November 4-6 in Malaysia to help the region's countries, including Thailand, tackle the issue.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Case-of-Indian-fugitive-exposes-security-flaws-30246777.html

-- The Nation 2014-11-02

Frightening, but T.I.T.

Quite often when I read the stories in the news section on TVF there's this little ditty running through my head...

Are the PM and Army Commander still at odds with the Immigration version and denying he was ever in the country ?

To me this is just "business as usual". The right hand does not know what the left hand is doing (nor much cares) and the two hands together can't find their arse.

Are the PM and Army Commander still at odds with the Immigration version and denying he was ever in the country ?

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Army-chief-dismisses-report-Indian-car-bomb-suspec-30246426.html

Army chief dismisses report Indian car bomb suspect already entered Thailand

Investigation into whereabouts of fugitive Indian car bomb suspect who escaped from a maximum-security jail in India found no grounds that he had entered the Thai soil, Army Commander in Chief Gen Udomdej Sitabutr said Tuesday.

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Seems the security flaws lay at the top of the chain, still attempting to save face.

Either the top guy got it wrong, or immigration got it wrong. It now seems clear who TRIED to get it wrong, for what purposes we shall never know!

He didn't kill any Thais, and the Sikhs have no gripe with Thailand, so why should they care?

On the other hand if caught up with he may have a pile of cash to donate to the Policeman's Prosperity Fund.

Unless there is some real evidence against this man, I would say leave him alone.

I'm sure he's done nothing illegal in Thailand, and whilst it's suggested he has travelled on a fake passport it's more likely its a real passport that he obtained using an alternate name.

If he escaped prison in 2004 and has been at liberty ever since then he's done very well.. perhaps in that time he has become a reformed character... it does happen.

He was described as a suspect, which means he could easily be innocent anyway.

Edited November 2, 201411 yr by technologybytes

What are they doing using LINE to communicate such things with each other.

This is secret info, not sweet nothings for the mia noi

Are the PM and Army Commander still at odds with the Immigration version and denying he was ever in the country ?

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Army-chief-dismisses-report-Indian-car-bomb-suspec-30246426.html

Army chief dismisses report Indian car bomb suspect already entered Thailand

Investigation into whereabouts of fugitive Indian car bomb suspect who escaped from a maximum-security jail in India found no grounds that he had entered the Thai soil, Army Commander in Chief Gen Udomdej Sitabutr said Tuesday.

____________________________________________________________________

Seems the security flaws lay at the top of the chain, still attempting to save face.

Either the top guy got it wrong, or immigration got it wrong. It now seems clear who TRIED to get it wrong, for what purposes we shall never know!

SOP for the army at the moment it to deny everything

If he could open an affordable indian restaurant in bangkok he's got my vote to stay.

Just proves that foreign criminals are hiding in Thailand likely thousands from Europe and elsewhere.

Unless there is some real evidence against this man, I would say leave him alone.

I'm sure he's done nothing illegal in Thailand, and whilst it's suggested he has travelled on a fake passport it's more likely its a real passport that he obtained using an alternate name.

If he escaped prison in 2004 and has been at liberty ever since then he's done very well.. perhaps in that time he has become a reformed character... it does happen.

Dream on, Terrorists do not REFORM!!!!

When you "Send To All" that is not a leak, that is stupidity.

"Despite India discreetly reaching out to Thailand for help in locating the terrorist, the news still leaked to the public, reportedly because the alert message was circulated among security officers in the far South via "Line" chat application."

If true it sums up Thailand in one sentence.

Mr PM who makes his Friday pm broadcasts which appear to be genuine and from your heart, PLEASE remember if the people around you do not tell you the truth then you are in trouble. If this is the case they are called "Yes men" and you need to get rid urgently

Cowboys and Indians the full Monty

He is actually living in Ayuttya, next door to himbali another terrorist that Thailand denied was here.