Aunty
July 11th, 2007, 00:00
Bangkok on alert after Muslim separatist warning
Reuters | Tuesday, 10 July 2007
Police have beefed up security in Bangkok after an army intelligence report suggested separatists in the rebellious Muslim south might be taking their insurgency to the Thai capital, a spokesman has said.
Metropolitan police chief Lieutenant-General Adisorn Nonsee had ordered more checkpoints and patrols, especially of Muslim communities, to look for tipoffs or suspects, the spokesman said.
"The commissioner ordered every station to be vigilant for terror attacks or sabotage, especially bombs," Police Colonel Supisarn Bhakdinarinath said.
"He has told them to study details of the New Year's Eve bombs carefully and try to stop a recurrence," Supisarn said, referring to a series of small bombs that killed three Thais and wounded scores of tourists on December 31.
It is unclear who planted the bombs, although some police explosives experts have said the devices bore the hallmarks of the southern militants, who have waged the three-year insurgency in which more than 2300 have been killed.
Immediately after the bombs, the generals who ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a bloodless September coup blamed Thaksin supporters for the attacks.
Supisarn did not say whether he thought the bombs were planted by Muslim insurgents.
"Investigators must have known by now who did them, but they don't have enough evidence to arrest them," he said.
A spokesman for the army was not immediately available for comment.
Buddhism is the dominant religion in Thailand.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4123190a12.html
Reuters | Tuesday, 10 July 2007
Police have beefed up security in Bangkok after an army intelligence report suggested separatists in the rebellious Muslim south might be taking their insurgency to the Thai capital, a spokesman has said.
Metropolitan police chief Lieutenant-General Adisorn Nonsee had ordered more checkpoints and patrols, especially of Muslim communities, to look for tipoffs or suspects, the spokesman said.
"The commissioner ordered every station to be vigilant for terror attacks or sabotage, especially bombs," Police Colonel Supisarn Bhakdinarinath said.
"He has told them to study details of the New Year's Eve bombs carefully and try to stop a recurrence," Supisarn said, referring to a series of small bombs that killed three Thais and wounded scores of tourists on December 31.
It is unclear who planted the bombs, although some police explosives experts have said the devices bore the hallmarks of the southern militants, who have waged the three-year insurgency in which more than 2300 have been killed.
Immediately after the bombs, the generals who ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a bloodless September coup blamed Thaksin supporters for the attacks.
Supisarn did not say whether he thought the bombs were planted by Muslim insurgents.
"Investigators must have known by now who did them, but they don't have enough evidence to arrest them," he said.
A spokesman for the army was not immediately available for comment.
Buddhism is the dominant religion in Thailand.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4123190a12.html