From The Nation today:
The chairman of the Council for National Security expects more attacks from those behind the bomb attacks in Bangkok on New Year Eve. Speaking to reporters a press conference after a CNS meeting, CNS chairman and Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin said the CNS would hold trainings for the general members of the public so that they could help monitor against possible terror attacks and could inform the authorities in time.
I guess there is no need to reassure the people at this stage; it’s true, things are completely f-cked. The city was deserted today. All the malls had very loose bag searches being “enforced”. Khaosan Road had a similar system in place with a very strong military and police presence. There were still a couple of armed soldiers at Victory Monument.On a slightly stranger note, Chuwit Kamolvisit has put up a million baht for anyone who can provide information that leads to the capture of the perpetrators behind last night’s bombing.
Thailand is reeling. Tourism looks likely to be hit, and with the obvious lack of any real confirmation as to who was responsible (and the announcement that more attacks are likely), the next few weeks will be a bit shaky.
Techno’ tags: Terrorism in Thailand, Bangkok bombings
I've talked with a friend last night whose dad works in the south. a province close from those shaken with bombs all the time.
For him there is no doubt that this is a work of the separatist from the south.
Apparently, those people have been trying to plant bombs in Bangkok for a year now but so far it has not been successful.
Also according to him, the situation is at risk for the coming month.
His advice is to stay away from bins in the street and watch out below the stairs if you are to take a skywalk.
I think the bombings might have been claimed already but the government won't tell it anyway because it's a problem they are supposed to have fixed (or working on it) and here it is at our doorstep.
Claiming it's from the south is shooting themself in the foot.
I'm young, but still, I can't recall this level of terror ever taking hold of Thailand. I suppose, with the world in the state that it is, it can only be expected, but I hope it gets better and not worse.
Preya, it's no good trying to pass blame on to the rest of the world: "with the world in the state that it is, it can only be expected". This is a Thai problem. The military take-over was completely Thai and the problem in the south has been rumbling for more than a hundred years. The problems in Thailand are purely Thai.
It's the oldest trick in Thai politics to try and blame all woes on foreigners. The solution: serious and true democracy, transparent and fully accountable government, and a lot less corruption.
I think you misunderstood; I was not blaming this on the rest of the world, only expressing cynicism at the state of world politics in general; I am not versed in Thai politics, but I will say that, having lived in Bangkok for a short time as a child and having traveled there all of my life, I cannot recall ever fearing this level of violence. This could be an error of my perception, but in any case, it's an observation.
Welcome to my childhood.
My house is a stone throw away from where the Israeli Embassy used to be in Soi Langsuan . At least there was one bomb that went off on the wall with minimal damage. And we had to go pass it every single day. During the Gulf War, solidiers with their rifles searched our school bags and our cars everytime we passed through. Not to mention the menacing Jeep with a machine gun mounted on it with the mussles trained out into the street. I was already away in the U.S. when the crazyheads abandoned their bomb-laden truck a few blocks away.
Sure, I didn't have it as abad as the Southerners or, even worse, folks in the Middle East or Africa, but for the easy going Thai life, THAT was already something.
I lived in fear, just a little bit of it in the back of my head. And that wasn't much fun. Now with the threat being all over the city, I can hardly imagine how scared folks would be to go out and about.
..
absurd thought -
God of the Universe says
make good use of terror…
..