Western tourists target

[BuffHello]

Thai terrorists 'target resorts'

 

BANGKOK: -- JEMAAH Islamiah-linked terrorists in southern Thailand are believed to be planning to transform their insurgency from attacks against the Thai state to bombings of Western tourists.

 

US terrorism expert Zachary Abuza has told The Australian that the Muslim insurgency could spread from the hinterland to beach resorts, such as Phuket, frequented by Western tourists.

 

Dr Abuza will tell the Foreign Correspondents Club in Bangkok tonight there are also reasons to believe that JI may become involved in such a plan being hatched by Thai insurgents.

 

The two-year insurgency, which has killed more than a thousand people, has until this point been dominated by attacks against symbols of the Thai state, such as police stations, and dominant religion, such as Buddhist temples.

 

Attacks against Western tourists would mark a turning point in Thailand's war on terror, and Dr Abuza said the shift could be being driven by JI's sense of Islamist obligation to join battle with fellow Muslims.

 

"An attack on an out-of-area soft target is being considered as an option. They have not ruled it out," he said yesterday. "They would target Phuket because, like Bali, it is a soft target that would severely impact the economy and drive away foreigners in droves."

 

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has issued general travel warnings for Thailand, advising travellers to "exercise a high degree of caution ... because of the high threat of terrorist attack".

 

"We continue to receive reports that terrorists are planning attacks against a range of targets, including places frequented by foreigners," the DFAT website warns. But the threats have been more specific, with past intelligence acknowledging that the areas of Phuket, Pattong Pattaya, Bangkok and the island of Samui could be targeted.

 

Another terrorism expert, Rohan Gunaratna, also warned this week that terrorists were likely to attack Bangkok within the year.

 

Neil Fergus, the chief executive of Intelligence Risks, said tourist spots including beach resorts had been broadly considered as targets, but Bangkok remained the biggest problem.

 

Although security in Thailand has been dramatically improved in many areas, Mr Fergus said it would be difficult for any authority to protect expatriate and bar areas frequented by tourists.

 

In the past 10 days, 19 people - five of them policemen - have been killed in attacks in southern Thailand.

 

While a raid by militants two years ago on a weapons depot in Narathiwat province is generally regarded as the start of the Muslim insurgency, Dr Abuza said the violence had been spreading, albeit slowly, for several years.

 

Dr Abuza said that while Thai authorities claimed to have arrested 190 insurgents responsible for conducting or planning operations in the past two years, very few of the insurgency's leaders had been picked up.

 

The Government has also consistently denied the trouble is part of any international terrorist network or that JI is involved.

 

Dr Abuza has warned that there are insurgent leaders who want to take terrorism to the next level, and they could be helped by JI or whatever form al-Qa'ida might take, by attacking places such as Bangkok or Phuket.

 

-- news.com.au 2006-01-11

[OCgringo]

its easy for people to say "could"

 

Yes the Muslim insurgency "could" do all kinds of things ,

 

but is there any evidence that its planned,

 

There seems to be a think tank industry that makes it money by making the world paranoid ,

 

OC

[chuckwoww]

OCgringo said:

its easy for people to say "could"

 

Yes the Muslim insurgency "could" do all kinds of things ,

 

but is there any evidence that its planned,

 

There seems to be a think tank industry that makes it money by making the world paranoid ,

 

OC

 

You said it. Very highly paid 'thinkers' coming up with new forecasts every week. Flying around the world from one conference to another making useless pronouncements. Keeps the money rolling in.

[bust]

Think Tanks are phony institutes where spin doctors pose as academics precuring money to support meaningless advertisings, not allowing genuine debate. They are funded primarily by large businesses and major foundations and tend to have a political leaning. Unlike universities or educational organizations they are never really subject to debate and the opportunity to question their retoric. Good business to be in though. Like you say chuchwoww many make it a career a bit like NGOs.

[Bangkoktraveler]

Quote

[color:"red"] "it is easy for people to say could"

 

[color:"black"]Yes, but look at it through the eyes of reality. If you pissed in somebody's cup of coffe and they drinked it and later they found out what you did, would you expect that person to do something to you about it? Remember, payback has not been met out for those who died at the mosque and those who died while being hauled on trucks as kindling wood.

 

Things are not all rosy in Thailand as pointed out by the initial poster. Quoting from the initial poster: [color:"red"]"The two-year insurgency, which has killed more than a thousand people, has until this point been dominated by attacks against symbols of the Thai state, such as police stations, and dominant religion, such as Buddhist temples.

 

Attacks against Western tourists would mark a turning point in Thailand's war on terror, and Dr Abuza said the shift could be being driven by JI's sense of Islamist obligation to join battle with fellow Muslims."[color:"black"]

 

 

Also noted in that posting was that in a 10 day period 19 people died and five were policemen. These deaths did not effect any falangs but if the deaths were falangs, there would be an out rage.

 

Besides, as the initial poster noted, if the local group becomes active with the international group, the 19 dead in a 10 day period could become 190 dead and most of them falangs.

 

I think people should keep an active eye open on what happens in this part of Thailand because it probably will effect all of Thailand.

[chuckwoww]

I think the threat is serious. Very serious. I'm surprised Bangkok hasn't been attacked yet. But I'm not sure I need an international think tank conference to remind me. Unless they've got some reliable inside information...which I doubt.

 

[color:"red"]"We continue to receive reports that terrorists are planning attacks against a range of targets, including places frequented by foreigners," the DFAT website warns. But the threats have been more specific, with past intelligence acknowledging that the areas of Phuket, Pattong Pattaya, Bangkok and the island of Samui could be targeted. [/color]

 

Of course they bloody could. It means nothing.

[bust]

If I remember correctly this issue was discussed on an earlier thread. You have to be careful not to take things out of context which is was some of these "Think Tanks" have us do. The insurgence issues in the south are based on religion not the overall war on terror that Zachary Abuza is trying to align this to. It's like trying to say the SPDC or the KNLA are aspiring to target western interests. Remember these guys are paid to destort reality.

[chuckwoww]

I don't know if they distort reality or not. They certainly know how to promote their own reality. Make it sound like they're tracking Al Quaida's every move. Bullshit. If they had any specific useful information shouldn't they just tell the Thai authorities?

 

[color:"red"]Dr Abuza will tell the Foreign Correspondents Club in Bangkok tonight there are also reasons to believe that JI may become involved in such a plan being hatched by Thai insurgents. [/color]

 

So I expect the journalists will lap up every word and the papers will be full of another load of non-information tomorrow.

[longwoodguy74]

It is a scary scenario. Imagine what a well placed explosive device on khao sarn road, the patpong night market, etc. would do to the tourist industry? Let's hope it never happens.

[bust]

And if it does, what then. I for one would not change a thing. Terrorism is exactly as it sounds make people live in terror.. At the end of the day if I'm meant to die in a bomb explosion while eating my Thom Kha Gai at Foodlands one night there's not a damn thing Zachary Abuza can do about it. That's looking at it through the eyes of reality, not through what ifs