Posted on 11/11/2005 9:33:01 PM PST by killjoy
Security officials have detained three male Muslim teenagers for questioning following their arrest at a Bangkok amusement park with a map of the capital with 43 large public gathering spots and the Defence Ministry marked out.
However, the three Muslims, whose names were withheld, denied any involvement in subversive activities, military security sources said.
The teenagers, who were students at a Muslim ponoh school in the deep South, insisted the marked spots on their map, mostly tourist venues and shopping malls, were places they wanted to visit and they had nothing do with any sabotage plot. The Defence Ministry was also one of the 43 marked locations on the map.
''The three teenagers claimed they wanted to visit Bangkok and see the Phya Tani cannon at the Defence Ministry,'' a source said. The ancient cannon originated from the southern region.
The teenagers were sent to the Southern Border Provinces Peace-building Command in Pattani for further questioning.
The teenagers were spotted on Nov 7 at Siam Park in the Bang Kapi area and were detained for questioning after security officers became suspicious about their activities. The map of Bangkok was taken from one of them.
Intelligence gathering agencies had warned security authorities about possible insurgent attacks in Bangkok and tourist towns following the Hat Yai airport bombing in April.
The Defence Ministry has stepped up security at its headquarters, particularly at its front section which is near a main road and has no fences.
The army also has beefed up security at important venues in the capital since last month. Intelligence reports warned that insurgents might shift their targets to big cities and tourist areas.
Deputy army spokesman Col Thanathip Sawangsaeng said army chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin plans to give security officers and motorists tips about what to do if there are car bombs at government offices.
Lt-Gen Palangkul Klaharn, head of the Supreme Command's Directorate of Joint Civil Affairs, urged mobile phone subscribers in the three southern provinces using pre-paid SIM cards to get their phones registered by Nov 15, or their service will be cut off.
Meanwhile, a group of militants fired an M79 grenade launcher and a rifle at the Chanae police station in Narathiwat's Chanae district.
But the grenades and bullets missed their target. The militants fled after police returned fire. There were no casualties.
Yes, they are Muslim but so is the head of the Thai Army, General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, who is also mentioned in the piece.
The Defence Ministry building, directly across the street from the Grand Palace, IS a tourist attraction. It has about 50 cannons on display in front of it. They are from different time periods and are pretty amazing. If the Thai government is concerned, these cannons should be moved. They should be placed in a museum if for no other reason than to allow people to examine them in more detail and protect them from the elements but that is a different story.
There are a lot of major high value targets in Bangkok, and if there was mention of these, I would be very concerned. These targets are related to Thailand's infrastructure as well as being strategic in nature. Of course, I will not list them here, but the vast majority are completely unprotected and would cause major problems if they were to be destroyed or even damaged. A car bomb could easily be driven right up to them and exploded without anyone noticing. (Just for the record, there are Army guards with rifles in front of the Defence Ministry.)
What is the motivation for publishing this piece? I really wonder if the author has gotten jealous of the constant state of paranoia that now exists and the US and wants it to happen here.
Paranoia? Interesting choice of words, which would imply a threat does not exist.
Do you not realize that over 1000 Thai's have been butchered by Muslims in the past year? Buddhist teachers are specially targetted.
The Defense Ministry? Glad they caught them.
The plural of Thai is Thai.
I remember when I was a kid: We used to have battle plans for urban combat drawn up all the time, inspired by influences ranging from "V" to "Red Dawn" to "Castle Risk." Terrroism wasn't an issue then, but I'd feel sorry for the twelve year old who found one of those maps buried and was caught with it in school.
"...But honestly, officer... I was only playing 'War of the Worlds'"
OK, but what's the plural of "Mai-Tai"?
You'll have to ask Victor Bergeron.
"Paranoia? Interesting choice of words, which would imply a threat does not exist.
Do you not realize that over 1000 Thai's have been butchered by Muslims in the past year? Buddhist teachers are specially targetted."
That is exactly the problem - the threat is real.
On the other hand I remember circling interesting places to visit on a map the first time I went to New Orleans. I think I even showed it to a cop to ask directions.
If you go back and read my comment on the piece, I stated that there are serious concerns, but this particular incident is not one of them. I further stated why I believe this. If you care to refute what I wrote, please do so.
Do you not realize that over 1000 Thai's have been butchered by Muslims in the past year? Buddhist teachers are specially targetted.
Do you not realize based on my profile that I live in Thailand?
Well, since "there are serious concerns" [in your own words] it would only seem fair that "this particular incident" is to be looked at closely - which is precisely what I gather is happening.
There is a difference between situational awareness and being paranoid. When red flags start to go up based on unconfirmed rumors, to me that is paranoia. If a company acted the same way towards market rumors that the US government is acting towards terrorism rumors, it would be out of business within a week.
Why would it be "paranoia" for the Thai to be very concerned about it as well, when over 1000 have been murdered by muslims in the past year? Isn't a high level of vigilance called for?
In short, no. I do not believe there will be terrorist attacks in Bangkok for a wide variety of reasons. The strongest reason against them is the heat it would bring down on them. Once the Thai economy is threated, in this case I mean tourist dollars, things will change dramatically. They know this very well.
The second major reason is because unlike the attacks in the Middle East, the attackers in the south of Thailand are not suicidal. The attacks are well planned to allow the attackers to escape. If an attack was to take place in Bangkok, the attackers would stick out very fast. They would not have a quick getaway like they can in the southern provinces. This alone is a major reason to argue against attacks in Bangkok. If they are going to hit a tourist location, my bets would be on Phuket.
OH this is nothing. I always circled the defense ministry on my maps when I was a teenager. Nothing to see here.
" I really wonder if the author has gotten jealous of the constant state of paranoia that now exists and the US and wants it to happen here."
Paranoia = ratings for politicians.
Make people scared and paranoid and then promise to "do what it takes" to protect them and you'll assuredly win the election. He's probably getting paid off to get people scared.
That's my opinion too. Escape by speedboat would be easy.
Lot's of high profile tourist targets. The Thai economy would suffer seriously.
The whole nation would be shunned by tourists who don't know the
difference between Chiang Mai, Isan, and Phuket.
The police and military in the US, Spain, and UK are restrained in what they can do domestically. Thailand is quite different in that respect.
Why do you rule out the possibility of foreign suicidal terrorists in Bangkok? How long until the Thai muslim headchoppers make friends and coordinate with the Indonesian suicide bombers?
I rule it out at this point because there has been no evidence of links between the Thai groups and AQ. The Thai groups are still very unorganized at this point. There has been no evidence of technology transfer between the Middle East groups and the Thai groups so far. I don't know what will happen in the future, but for now, it is not happening.
Given that Thailand is a major tourist destination for those from the Middle East, I doubt a foreign attack on Bangkok. Thailand has also been used as a planning/staging area for attacks on other countries. Since they can blend and operate pretty safely here, it doesn't make sense they would go and screw it up. As the saying goes, don't s**t where you eat.
what about Pattaya ?
nobody much in Phuket since Tsunami , no?
Trust NO muslim sheetheads!!!
They lie and kill, then "claim" religion as an out.
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