Vehicle search at Central Airport

[Jerrie Pelser]

Hi all,

Went to Central Airport over lunch and they stopped all the vehicles to search them and look underneath with mirrors. I just drove past with my motorcycle but when I go to the motorcycle parking area they also stopped everyone and you had to open the motorcycle seat so they can look inside the storage area.

Does anyone know what this could be about? This is the first time I have seen something like this in almost 2 years I have been here.

Thanks

[Thailand]

Swiss army knives?

[LarryBird]

Who are 'they'?

[LivinLOS]

Define 'vehicle search' ??

I understand them looking for explosives with mirrors.. Happened many times at various shopping centers over the years, I dont consider looking at the exterior (even underneath) a vehicle search..

[Jerrie Pelser]

Who are 'they'?

Sorry, it was just normal security people at the airport...

[LivinLOS]

Who are 'they'?

Sorry, it was just normal security people at the airport...

Not central then ??

[Jerrie Pelser]

Oh dear, I need sleep it seems...

Central Airport Plaza. Security people stopped cars. Looked underneath them with mirrors. I do not know if they looked inside - I did not stop to look exactly what their search entailed. So if that is technically not a vehicle search, I apologise for not using the correct terminology. Either way, it was an unusual situation for me.

Seems none of you know the answer to what was happening any case.

Hope I cleared up all the fine little technical points ;P

[LivinLOS]

Simple security checks for bombs attached under cars or inside bikes.. Was standard operating procedure in many Phuket shopping malls for years.. They would over time get sloppy and stop, then the next little scare in the south would be firmly in force again..

Admit not noticed it ever here.. So understand it may have stood out.

[Jerrie Pelser]

Thank you LivinLOS

[mania]

Oops I did not see this topic & just posted something similar

Mods feel free to delete my post.

But yes saw the same as you today...what appears to be a bomb check?

I do not think it could be much else....Not like any trucks are smuggling in workers etc

[worgeordie]

Had to laugh at the security people at Makro a couple of years ago,

they had a makeshift device for looking under cars, it was a chrome

tea tray nailed to a piece of wood.but i am sure it worked a lot better

than those bomb sniffers the Government was conned into spending

a lot of money on.

regards Worgeordie

[elektrified]

They were stopping people at the ground floor (parking), rear enterence to Central Festival the other day and asking ladies to empty their handbags on a table covered in a white tablecloth. There was a group of Bangkok hip-hop looking dudes that were asked to stop so they could run the metal detector over them. Of course I just walked past them and up the escalator while they were scanning the 'gang'. Had no idea what it was all about.

[masuk]

This is the first time I've seen the Australian govt advising NOT TO TRAVEL to Thailand at this time.

Something has raised the security alert.

http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/Thailand

[kalbo123]

This is the first time I've seen the Australian govt advising NOT TO TRAVEL to Thailand at this time.

Something has raised the security alert.

http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/Thailand

Read better, only a few provinces in the South, and thats probably going on for years already.

[ThaiPauly]

Maybe due to the bomb attacks at Siam Paragon in BK.

There may have been a rumour/ lead that one of the department stores in CM could possibly be targeted next....who knows?

[balo]

I can confirm that they are also checking all the vehicles underneath with a mirror at Central Festival Pattaya ,a guard is standing there all day long with a mirror.

[Torrens54]

Glad they are taking Precautions!

That "Travel Advice" from Australian Government was dated a couple of weeks ago and the suggestion to "Not Travel" ONLY Applied to a few places way down South where most people would have no desire to go anyway.

[Tywais]

Yingluck is also in Chiang Mai but not sure if it is related or not. Apparently her caravan was stopped and checked at a check point also.

[uptheos]

Yingluck is also in Chiang Mai but not sure if it is related or not. Apparently her caravan was stopped and checked at a check point also.

She now lives in a caravan?

Went in KSK before opening time yesterday through the back, no checks there. not sure if they are at the front.

[colinneil]

The world we live in now is a very dangerous place.

Bombs on planes, bombs in cars, bombs in shopping malls.

Why would anyone be concerned about security checks, in my mind the more checks the better.

They are only trying to make things safer for every one.

[LarryBird]

OP, thanks for the heads up, I was simply trying to figure out who it was performing the screenings, police, army, private security from the Dept store, etc.. I think it's useful for all of us on here today given the state of things.

[true blue]

see empty table with thai notice on it outside entrance to ksk,propaly reads leave all exploisive stuff here,guard gone to lunch.

[masuk]

Glad they are taking Precautions!

That "Travel Advice" from Australian Government was dated a couple of weeks ago and the suggestion to "Not Travel" ONLY Applied to a few places way down South where most people would have no desire to go anyway.

You're correct about the 'Do not travel' applied to the south. the notice was issued a few days ago.

[masuk]

Yingluck is also in Chiang Mai but not sure if it is related or not. Apparently her caravan was stopped and checked at a check point also.

She now lives in a caravan?

Went in KSK before opening time yesterday through the back, no checks there. not sure if they are at the front.

There were security guards at the basement doors a few days ago.

[true blue]

Yingluck is also in Chiang Mai but not sure if it is related or not. Apparently her caravan was stopped and checked at a check point also.

She now lives in a caravan?

Went in KSK before opening time yesterday through the back, no checks there. not sure if they are at the front.

There were security guards at the basement doors a few days ago.

there is and always was security guards at the basement.they are part and parcel of the complex,they deal with the traffic in the car parks and general security through out the building.

[Tokay]

I feel bad for those guys. They haven't a clue what to look for. They opened my seat, didn't lift my jacket covering everything in the area, and didn't check the back box of my bike or my backpack. As usual, poorly trained. Someone told them to open bike seats and they are, that's all there is to it. As if someone with a bomb under their bike seat won't see the people in front of them getting a half <deleted> check and go the other way, assuming one would even put a bomb under their seat and drive it into the bike parking area.

On the other hand, because they don't have a clue, you very well could go through them with a bomb under your seat. You could probably tell them it was a bomb and they would laugh it off and wave you through.

A little proper training goes a long way. I do feel for them. Such poor training could someday cost them their life should they really come across what they are looking for and the culprit is eager to detonate it.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

^ Yup.

* Have some security doing checks at the front entrance at the basement level. Yet nobody at any of the back entrances. (Tops, parking lot entrances, etc.)

* Run a mirror on wheels around a car, but not bother to as much check the boot, or inside. Vewy vewy useful, that.

And then regardless of the above, they'll get bored and stop doing it in a week or two. Because bad guys couldn't possibly wait two weeks.

[Thailand]

Went to Airport Plaza this morning at 11.15am nobody checking anything on cars or at the door. Left at 12.10pm and there was a bag check at the doors and they were searching cars and bikes.

Not only do bombers not bother after 2 weeks, it seems not before 11.30am either!