Security measures at airports, bus stations tightened

BANGKOK: -- Security measures at airports and inter-provincial bus stations nationwide will be upgraded following bomb attacks here on Sunday, senior officials said on Friday.

Assistant army chief Gen. Saprang Kalayanamitra, in his capacity as board chairman of Airports of Thailand (AOT) Public Co., Ltd., said he ordered every airport to boost security measures to the same level of airports in Europe and the United States. He also ordered Loxley Pcl, provider of security at Suvarnabhumi airport, to improve security systems there or have its concession terminated. Initially, army and police personnel will be assigned to Suvarnabhumi airport to assist in providing security and if the company fails to upgrade security performance, then the concession would be revoked, Gen. Saprang said.

Meanwhile, Chaisawat Kittipornpaiboon, permanent secretary for Transport, said security systems at every inter-provincial bus station would be upgraded to the maximum following bomb threats at bus stations. Security at bus stations is now on the same par with national security and passengers may feel inconvenienced because of thorough searches by security personnel there, Mr. Chaisawat said.

--TNA 2007-01-05 via www.thaivisa.com (http://www.thaivisa.com)

There were a couple of youngish (but unattractive) armed soldiers wandering aimlessly about my local BTS station a couple of days after the bombings, but passing through the airport a few hours later I saw absolutely nothing, not a single uniformed soldier, not even the (usually cute) ones that waved their magic wands over one at Don Muang. Not only did the bombings themselves make the government look ineffectual, their follow-up has, if anything, made them look worse

The highlight for me was the story in the Bangkok Post on Tuesday (no, you pedants, I'm not going to give you the reference, look it up for yourselves) of the chief coroner who turned up to collect forensic evidence from the bombs themselves and who was prevented by the soldiers there from gaining access for several hours. When at last access was provided, the evidence still remaining was next to useless since the soldiers had ... let the street-sweepers in to tidy the place up. Oh joy. Oh Land of Wry Smiles :bounce:

[Hmmm]

When I last flew out of Suvarnabhumi late last year, there was a string of cars parked on the side of the road leading right up to the departure level of the terminal. Most of them were old, just the type of car one might use for a car bomb. No 'serious' airport in the world - especially a newly designed and built one - would allow that in this day and age.

I find it suprising that airport security here is contracted-out to a private firm - I don't know how these things usually work, but would have expected it be government-run.

Although given the homintern-quoted army stuff-up, official control of security is not necessarily more competent.