Australians GO HOME!

[Stickman]

Now coming from a Kiwi, that subject line should have raised a few eyebrows... Anyway, got the following from an Australian friend tonight which sure raised my eyebrows.

 

"Thought you may be interested to know that in last 24 hours, on the back of Bali, the Australian government has advised all Australians to:

 

1. Not travel to Thailand unless the need is essential.

2. For all Australians in Thailand to leave asap.

3. To not frequent tourist spots such as Temples, Bars, and nightclubs."

 

Are they really serious? Will this have any effect? Had they said Bali and / or Indoensia, I would have understood, but Thailand? Is the danger really that significant?

 

Stick

 

 

[spirit_of_town_hall]

I think most western govts are including Thailand in their travel warnings, I have seen a drop in airline prices over x mas over the past 2 days.

 

Dont suppose the Pattaya vacationer would be put of Thailand bt your average family will be

 

STH

[chilli13]

damn it all!

my planned business trip to manila has supposedly just been cancelled due to UK government warnings, while 'serious' risk forecast companies such as CRG still says no need to cancel business trips as the major treat in SEA still is local crime & stuff & NOT terrorism...

anyways I'll have to go to sidney & auchland instead then ::

[stumpy]

There has been a fair bit of criticism of the government in the UK and reported in the news there has been similar criticism of the Australian government for not issuing clear warning.

 

Therefore I?m not really sure now if they do have new intelligence or if there is an element of playing safe.

 

God forbid there should be an attack in Thailand but their line would be ?we told you to come home?

 

Make of it what you will because we live in strange times.

 

[phiketpete]

This warning is not reflected in the Australian governments website which was updated October 17th (and current for Oct 23rd) with 'new information but unchanged warning'

 

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

 

and includes

 

"Threats against Australians and Australian interests in Thailand are high, given possible terrorist action. Australians in Thailand should exercise extreme caution and maintain a high level of personal security awareness."

[stumpy]

Hi phiketpete,

 

You beat me to it, I was just going to say that isn't the advice on the website...

[btm1735]

seems that the FBI hassome inteligence that tourists in Thailand are to be targeted. CNN story below.

 

JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- An al Qaeda operative now in U.S. custody has told the FBI about plans to attack popular bars and nightclubs in Southeast Asia, according to classified documents.

 

His name is Mohammed Mansour Jabarah, an al Qaeda operative arrested in Oman last March.

 

FBI documents obtained by CNN tell how Jabarah admitted to planning suicide-bombing attacks against the U.S. embassies in Singapore and the Philippines.

 

Jabarah worked with another al Qaeda operative also now in U.S. custody, Omar Al Faruq.

 

Based in Indonesia, Al Faruq gave the CIA information last month which shut down several U.S. embassies in Southeast Asia.

 

But a third plotter remains free -- al Qaeda operative Riduan Isamuddin, aka Hambali.

 

Intelligence authorities say Hambili is deputy leader and operations chief of Jemaah Islamiya -- a militant Islamic group suspected of having links to the bombings in Bali as well as recent attacks in the Philippines.

 

They say he is still directing operatives across the region from Indonesia. (Terror network growing in Asia, Australia)

 

Jabarah told his FBI interrogators that Hambali was planning to "conduct small bombings in bars, cafes or nightclubs frequented by westerners in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia."

 

That intelligence, CNN was told, has been passed to U.S. allies and may have contributed to recent actions and advisory warnings by Britain, Australia and other countries.

 

"The actions ... show that there is danger out there, that the war on terror continues and that the threats are serious," warns U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph Boyce.

 

Authorities in Indonesia and in the region say Hambali may have been behind the explosions in Bali, which killed nearly 200 people on October 12.

 

The coordinated, near-simultaneous attacks on the Indonesian island are in addition to five recent explosions in the Philippines.

 

The attacks bear a striking resemblance to bombings allegedly organized by Hambali in those two countries two years ago, Filipino investigators say.

 

Two of the explosives used in Bali -- ammonium nitrate and TNT -- authorities say, have been stockpiled by the Jemaah Islamiya (JI).

 

The group's alleged leader is Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, arrested this week by Indonesia but still to be questioned.

 

Although he has been placed under arrest, Ba'asyir has not been linked to the Bali blasts, despite authorities' suspicions that JI is linked to the attack.

 

"Abu Bakar Ba'asyir is the emir -- he is the head of the JI network, though he denies it exists," says Southeast Asian analyst, Zachary Abuza.

 

Terrorism experts say Ba'asyir and Hambali sit on the shura or leadership councils of both JI and al Qaeda.

 

The Bush administration plans to put JI on its list of terrorist organizations this week, a senior official told CNN. (Full story)

 

At the same time, Indonesian intelligence sources say they expect to make arrests in the coming days which could pinpoint Hambali's location and help stop future attacks.

 

 

 

 

 

[phiketpete]

Hi Stumpdog. Are you having a boring night in in front of the computer.

 

And just to prove it

 

The USA govt. website for travel advisories shows no change since July 2002 for Thailand

As for the FCO in UK see the following ling for updated info on all of S-E Asia.

http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029391629&a=kArticle&aid=1034876771228

 

which includes for Thailand

 

"For Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and East Timor, the first paragraph in the Terrorism section of the travel advice will read: 'There is an increased threat to British nationals and British interests from terrorism in South East Asia. Following the terrorist attacks in Bali on 12 October in which Western tourists were deliberately targeted, the threat to British nationals in [enter the name of the country] has increased significantly. British nationals should exercise extreme caution in public places, in particular places of entertainment such as nightclubs, bars, restaurants and places of worship known to be frequented by foreigners. All British institutions and businesses should reconsider their security arrangements. British and international schools should be especially vigilant.'"

 

 

[bibblies]

Imagine one of them getting into Grace Coffee shop at its most crowded.

 

Wankers. The lot of them.

[whosyourdaddy]

canadian update on thailand

 

 

Recent terrorist activity has raised the possibility of increased dangers for Canadians in the region. Canadians should maintain a high level of personal security awareness at all times due to the possibility of further terrorist actions and civil disorder. Exercise extreme caution, particularly in commercial and public areas frequented by foreigners such as clubs, restaurants, bars, schools, places of worship, outdoor recreation events, and tourist areas. Canadians should monitor local developments and news broadcasts carefully and follow the advice of local authorities.