Posted on 11/27/2005 9:20:19 AM PST by ncountylee
The Southern Border Provinces Peace-building Command (SBPPC) warned residents in the restive South yesterday not to return missed calls from unknown callers because their cell phones could be manipulated to act as triggers for explosives.
As the authorities had tightened control over mo-bile-phone use by requiring the registration of all prepaid SIM cards since the middle of this month, militants are loathe to use their own phones for triggering bombs because they could be traced, SBPPC spokesman Colonel Somkhuan Saengprathranet said.
A new tactic militants may adopt is to call a number at random and hang up, thereby leaving a missed call message on someone’s phone. A returned call sets off the bomb, he explained.
“So please don’t rush to return calls immediately after a missed call. If the person who has called you really wants to talk to you, they will call back,” Somkhuan said.
Mobile phones can be used to set off explosions because they generate electricity, which can be channelled to activate a trigger device.
But he did not say if officials believe such a ruse had been employed before to detonate explosives.
Locals said they had not known that by returning a missed call they could inadvertently set off a bomb, yet stressed that they would follow the authorities’ advice.
“I am scared of bombs, so from now on I won’t re-turn any missed calls from numbers I don’t know,” said Thiramon Natraj, a Yala resident.
Mobile phones have been used frequently in the past two years to trigger explosions in the deep South.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationmultimedia.com ...
It's cheaper, too. If somebody doesn't want to leave me a message, screw 'em.
This story really sounds like an urban legend that you would see in your email inbox.
"Forward this to everyone you know. If you don't, you will wake up in a bathtub full of ice with your kidneys missing. AOL and Microsoft have said there is no defense against this."
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