I've been denied entry to Thailand - Now What ! ?

[rooster59]

SRT suspends train services to three southernmost provinces

The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has temporarily suspended train services to the three southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat following a huge bomb explosion which tore apart a train carriage in Pattani, killing one railway official and wounding three other people.

 

The latest bomb blast which, this time, targeted a carriage of the Su-ngai Kolok-Hat Yai train took place in Kok Pho district of Pattani late Saturday afternoon. It was reported a 50kg improvised explosive device was planted underneath the last carriage of the train which was normally used by officials.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/srt-suspends-train-services-three-southernmost-provinces/

 

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2016-09-04

 

[webfact]

INSURGENCY

Trains suspended in far South

The Nation

 

Officials yesterday inspect the scene of the deadly railway bomb blast in Pattani’s Khok Pho district on Saturday.

 

Services cancelled in three provinces after big blast in Pattani; one killed

 

PATTANI: -- WHILE a peace process for the mainly Muslim far South is still mired in doubt, people in the deep South continue to endure regular violent attacks. Trains operating in Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat have been suspended for 10 days after another bomb blast on the railway line on Saturday.

The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) yesterday ordered temporary suspension of train services to the three southernmost provinces in the deep South after a bomb exploded on the train track in Pattani's Khok Pho district.

Manop Muenpreecha, chief of Tanyongmas train station in Narathiwat's, said his station alone would lose revenue of at least Bt30,000 a day due to the suspension of rail services. The loss of revenue for the entire region was not revealed.

Travelling by train is a regular mode of transport for residents here, he said, but parents would now have to rent a car to take their children to school.

Yala train station, which usually serves around 3,000 passengers a day, wore a deserted look on Sunday.

The bomb attack, which took place on Saturday evening, killed one railway official and wounded three others.

The blast led to the derailment of the train and the rear carriage was severely damaged. The local train was leaving Sungai Kolok district in Narathiwat and heading for Hat Yai in Songkhla province when the explosion occurred.

Officials said the train had been targeted by insurgents, who have orchestrated violence throughout the region since early 2004. More than 6,500 people have been killed since then.

Nobody claimed responsibility for the attack on Saturday but Pattani provincial police chief Pol Maj-General Thanogsak Wangsupha said militants led by Seri Taemamu might be responsible for the attack.

Authorities had their names on a watchlist but the officer declined to give further details. He said officials were working on the case and would hunt for them.

The train attack happened just a day after peace talks in Kuala Lumpur between government representatives and separatist umbrella group MARA Patani.

The talks in Malaysia made little progress as both sides just agreed in principle on the terms of reference for the peace process but did not make any agreement in written form. This action has raised suspicion among observers on whether both sides really want to restore peace.

MARA Patani, an umbrella group of long-standing Malay separatist organisations in the Muslim-majority southern border provinces, established contact with the authorities last year to get a peace process started.

The military government under Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was reluctant to recognise the role of the group and doubts if it really represents militants operating on the ground or has any capacity to control them.

Meanwhile, some analysts said MARA Patani also did not want to negotiate with the military government, which is due to leave office after an election late next year. This has caused uncertainty about the peace process.

However, with the junta showing an intention to stay in power longer and the possibility of Prime MinisterPrayut retaining power after the election, the MARA Patani group had no choice but to maintain the momentum of the talks in Kuala Lumpur, an observer said.

Despite dispatching senior officer General Aksara Kerdphol to the talks, Prayut said last week his government would not accept any conditions set by the group to initiate talks unless peace was restored.

Another observer said the meeting in Malaysia last week yielded only one thing - that both sides would continue their contact. So, doubt remains and peace appears a long way off.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Trains-suspended-in-far-South-30294529.html

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2016-09-05

[webfact]

ISOC condemns the train explosion as an act of “extreme brutality”

 

 

PATTANI: -- The Internal Security Operations Command of the 4th Army’s Forward Command on Sunday issued a statement condemning the southern militant group responsible for the Saturday’s powerful bomb explosion which reportedly destroyed a train car in Pattani, killing one official and injuring several other people.

 

Deputy spokesman of the command, Colonel Yutthanam Petmuang, said that the bomb explosion was a clear indication of the militant group to cause sufferings and deaths to passengers of the train services who are mostly poor people.

 

He called on all sectors of the society to condemn the “extreme brutality” of the militant group which clearly has no regard on the hardship caused by its action to the people.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/isoc-condemns-train-explosion-act-extreme-brutality/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2016-09-05

[hansnl]

Simply said, they are terrorists, fuelled by the"religion of peace" under the guise of separatism.

[natway09]

This is devastating but the SRT which has to be one of the most corrupt, badly run Govt organizations in Thailand 

do not have security to catch what was reported as a 50kg bomb?

It is not as though you can put it in your pocket.

The illustrious General wants to give the SRT a mandate to run high speed trains.

The so called airport shuttle to Suvarnabhumi  run by SRT is an absolute. disaster .

(I used it last week again, never again.)

Anything you give the SRT they will find a way to bastardize it

[JAG]

1 hour ago, natway09 said:

This is devastating but the SRT which has to be one of the most corrupt, badly run Govt organizations in Thailand 

do not have security to catch what was reported as a 50kg bomb?

It is not as though you can put it in your pocket.

The illustrious General wants to give the SRT a mandate to run high speed trains.

The so called airport shuttle to Suvarnabhumi  run by SRT is an absolute. disaster .

(I used it last week again, never again.)

Anything you give the SRT they will find a way to bastardize it

It is very difficult to secure hundreds of kilometres of unfenced railway line in a jungle area without a lot of troops on the ground.

[sahibji]

shutting down services to the southernmost destinations is a move that might prove counter productive. that is what these attackers want - disruption.

[halloween]

46 minutes ago, JAG said:

It is very difficult to secure hundreds of kilometres of unfenced railway line in a jungle area without a lot of troops on the ground.

 

Much of the track in that area is fenced with chain-link. You can see the fence on the far left of the picture in post#3. From the picture in the OP, it appears they accessed the track from the level crossing.

[Thian]

10 minutes ago, sahibji said:

shutting down services to the southernmost destinations is a move that might prove counter productive. that is what these attackers want - disruption.

 

Well i even had plans to go there one day by train but that's out of my head for another 10 years now.

 

I'm also invited for a wedding there, get everything for free but no way i'll go.

 

When i was in Phuket some years ago there were loads of muslems who all approached me to go on picture together. They were very kind and no problems at all. From now on i'll stay far away from all of them.

[baboon]

Scumbags. Murdering a working man just trying to make make an honest living and injuring others is beyond despicable. 

[JAG]

22 minutes ago, halloween said:

 

Much of the track in that area is fenced with chain-link. You can see the fence on the far left of the picture in post#3. From the picture in the OP, it appears they accessed the track from the level crossing.

Must confess I didn't see the fence - looking on a phones relatively small screen.

[Srikcir]

12 hours ago, webfact said:

Prayut said last week his government would not accept any conditions set by the group to initiate talks unless peace was restored.

Thus assuring MARA Patani will be stymied on any approach to peace talks.

The "unless peace was restored" has been defined by Prayut as a period of no violence by any insurgent as determined by Prayut at a time of his choosing. I think Prayut is satisifed with the status quo in the South that keeps the South firmly in the grasp of Thai sovereignty.

[Srikcir]

12 hours ago, webfact said:

ISOC condemns the train explosion as an act of “extreme brutality”

If there's a military organization that knows a thing or two about brutality, ISOC may be the One.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/857434-navy-army-officers-charged-with-human-trafficking-in-southern-thailand/

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-24/thailand-indicts-72-human-trafficking-suspects/6646666

 

[halloween]

22 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

Thus assuring MARA Patani will be stymied on any approach to peace talks.

The "unless peace was restored" has been defined by Prayut as a period of no violence by any insurgent as determined by Prayut at a time of his choosing. I think Prayut is satisifed with the status quo in the South that keeps the South firmly in the grasp of Thai sovereignty.

 

You think he is satisfied keeping " the South firmly in the grasp of Thai sovereignty." How much criticism would he face if he put up an alternative?

https://www.cambodiadaily.com/archives/charges-sought-against-ex-thai-officials-for-preah-vihear-pact-63499/

Edited September 5, 2016 by halloween

[halloween]

2 hours ago, JAG said:

Must confess I didn't see the fence - looking on a phones relatively small screen.

Did the trip to Sungai Kolok, by both rail and bike, several times, so knew it was there. Remember thinking that it must have cost a small fortune. Just lucky it was in one of the photos.

[Srikcir]

35 minutes ago, halloween said:

How much criticism would he face if he put up an alternative?

Prayut clearly refused to support the Yingluck regime on an alternative. Preventing autonomy of the South from the Kingdom of Thailand was one of the few policies that the Thai military had in common with Thaksin.