Planning a dive trip to Thailand?

The outlawed separatist Pattani United Liberation Organisation
yesterday warned tourists to stay away from Phuket, Krabi and Bangkok,
as it promised a new wave of violence in retaliation for Monday's
'massacre'.



Steve Kramer
Chiang Mai, Thailand
http://www.photoenvisions.com
Six years, two months, one week, two days, 9 hours, 29 minutes and 19
seconds. 67871 cigarettes not smoked, saving $18,664.76. Time used for a
better purpose: 33 weeks, 4 days, 15 hours, 55 minutes.

--
"The voyage of discovery lies not in seeking new horizons, but in seeing
with new eyes." - Marcel Proust

"Steve Kramer" <steve@seatraveler.com> wrote in message
news:41835104.7B0695E2@seatraveler.com...
>
> The outlawed separatist Pattani United Liberation Organisation
> yesterday warned tourists to stay away from Phuket, Krabi and Bangkok,
> as it promised a new wave of violence in retaliation for Monday's
> 'massacre'.

Steve, I appreciate that news. I'm heading to Wakatobi in early 2005 and am
taking Thai Air, which will route us thru Bangkok. Our plan was to pop down
and stay a few days in Phuket, before heading to Bali for the flight to
Wakatobi (Thai Air does not charge extra when you stay over).

I'll keep an eye on the events over there to see if the Muslim south is too
risky when our time comes to head over. The other choice is to stay on the
mainland and enjoy that. Any advice on Bangkok or the surrounding area?

Steve Kramer <steve@seatraveler.com> wrote in message
> The outlawed separatist Pattani United Liberation Organisation
> yesterday warned tourists to stay away from Phuket, Krabi and Bangkok,
> as it promised a new wave of violence in retaliation for Monday's
> 'massacre'.

Hi Steve,
Sorry to hear this as I am in the middle of planning 2 trips to
Thailand in 2005!
I remember that the Pattani United Liberation Org. said the same after
the troubles in May. Up until now all of the problems seem to have
been contained to the southern province. Do you think it may now
escalate to the tourist areas?
Mike.

In article <41835104.7B0695E2@seatraveler.com>, Steve Kramer
<steve@seatraveler.com> wrote:

€ The outlawed separatist Pattani United Liberation Organisation
€ yesterday warned tourists to stay away from Phuket, Krabi and Bangkok,
€ as it promised a new wave of violence in retaliation for Monday's
€ 'massacre'.
€
€

Here's a little more information from a travel advisory service:

Security Contact Americas (1) (215)
245 4707 Asia/Pacific (65) 6338 7800
Europe/Africa (44) (20) 8762 8008 Paris,
France (33) (0) 155 633 155 *




Security Special Advisory

Thailand
October 28, 2004 05:47 GMT


Insurgent Group Warns of Attacks in Bangkok

A local insurgent group operating in
southern Thailand has warned it will conduct large-scale attacks in the
Thai capital of Bangkok in retaliation against the death of 84 Muslim
men during and after a clash with policemen on Monday, 25 October, in
Narathiwat province.

According to local reports, the Pattani United Liberation Organisation
(PULO) threatened to stage attacks in Bangkok. The PULO website
reiterated a call for a "holy war" (jihad) against Prime Minister
Thaksin Shinawatra. Intelligence agencies have also uncovered a plan by
militant groups to attack government buildings and assassinate at least
40 people including government personnel and informants. It was not
clear if these attacks would be carried out in the capital or in the
southern provinces.

Police defused a fertilizer bomb in a grocery store in Narathiwat early
today. The homemade device weighed nearly 4.5 kilograms (10 lbs) and
was packed in a plastic box.

The threats and the latest bombing attempt follow the 25 October clash
between policemen and protestors demanding the release of six Muslim
men detained on suspicion that they sold their firearms to local
insurgents. The clash resulted in the death of six persons. At least 44
persons including 30 protestors and 14 security personnel were injured.
Security forces arrested more than 1,000 Muslim men immediately after
the clash and placed them on military trucks. At least 78 men died of
suffocation inside the trucks while they were being transported to
another province for detention. At least 60 men are still missing.


SOS Comment

While PULO is the largest insurgent group
operating in southern Thailand, it has not launched major attacks in
the region nor has it attacked Bangkok. Most of its attacks have been
small-scale bombings using improvised explosive devices (IED) using
Powergel or a limited amount of fertilizers, as well as targeted
shootings of government personnel, security forces and civilians
suspected to be informants.

Nevertheless, we recommend a conservative approach, and suggest that
the group's warning be taken seriously. Given the recent resurgence of
violence in the south, it is not an improbable scenario that PULO has
taken the necessary steps to gain access to the necessary expertise and
materials to conduct large-scale bombings. In March this year,
suspected insurgents stole between 1.4 and 1.65 tonnes of ammonium
nitrate in 66 sacks; 56 sticks of dynamite; and 176 detonators from a
quarry in Muang district in Yala province. Analysts warned that the
stolen explosives were enough to level a large building. In April, Thai
authorities announced it had recovered roughly half of the stolen
ammonium nitrate, a raw material for explosives, but a substantial
amount of explosives remain in the hands of suspected insurgents.
Insurgents have also demonstrated the capability to remotely detonate
small explosive devices, a skill which could be tranferred to the use
of larger devices.

Of immediate concern, there remains a heightened risk of retaliatory
attacks by insurgents in the provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, and
Yala. Tak Bai district, in Narathiwat, may continue to be a focal point
for further violence. The latest incident has fueled outrage among
Muslim militants and could elicit increased local sympathy for the
insurgents' cause among local communities. The incident has also
increased existing tension between the government and its militant
Muslim population in the south. The likelihood of further violence and
unrest in southern Thailand is high.

It is assessed that the most likely scenario in the short-term is a
series of small-scale retaliatory bombings targeting government
facilities and possibly public areas such as markets, commercial
establishments or seaports, where several bombings have occured in
recent months. The pattern of assassinations is also likely to
continue, with an increased focus on security force personnel. There is
no clear indication at this time that insurgents are mobilizing to
launch a large-scale attack in Bangkok in the near-term, but it would
not be prudent to assume that an attack on the capital cannot occur.


Travel Advice

SOS advises its members of the following:

1. Travel to Thailand can proceed but extra safety precaution should be
taken in Bangkok and major cities.

2. Travelers should avoid visiting the southern most Thai provinces of
Narathiwat, Yala, and Pattani.

3. SOS Members are advised to avoid churches, bars, nightclubs, cafes,
shopping malls and other locations that are PRIMARILY FREQUENTED by
foreigners in southern Thailand, as these are potential targets for
terrorist attack elsewhere in Thailand.

4. Basic security precautions should continue to be followed when
traveling. Travel at night or on secondary roads is not recommended in
the more remote parts of Thailand.

5. Maintain vigilance when traveling to all border areas.

SOS members seeking additional information on this situation should
contact the 24-hour SOS Regional Security Center in Singapore on (65)
63387800.

"Alan Street" <agstreet@nonono_san.rr.com> wrote in message
news:301020040945204234%agstreet@nonono_san.rr.com ...

> 1. Travel to Thailand can proceed but extra safety precaution should be
> taken in Bangkok and major cities.

With all the terrorist threats against the U.S., including Bin Laden's
latest communique, could Bangkok possibly be any more dangerous than staying
home in the U.S.?

Greg Mossman wrote:
>
> "Steve Kramer" <steve@seatraveler.com> wrote in message
> news:41835104.7B0695E2@seatraveler.com...
> >
> > The outlawed separatist Pattani United Liberation Organisation
> > yesterday warned tourists to stay away from Phuket, Krabi and Bangkok,
> > as it promised a new wave of violence in retaliation for Monday's
> > 'massacre'.
>
> Great, those are the three places we're staying in December.

I wouldn't change plans. I'd just keep an sharper eye out for unusual
events, watch for people leaving packages or parking cars where they
really out not to be, not get to the bus station or airport too early,
and most importantly, listen to your 6th sense. If you feel threatened,
you most likely are. That what that sense is for. So just move out of
that location. A couple of hundred meters is all that you will probably
need to be clear. The chance of you being where an attack will be are
pretty slim. Don't sweat it. Be aware of it.

> Can't you
> convince them to try Koh Tao

To small. One small device and the entire island would sink.

> or Chiangmai instead,

This is actually a major concern, and has been since the last large
holiday in April when so many tourist came for the Songkran water
fights. I would NOT be at all surprised if there were attacks here.
That's why I don't hang out at the mall... :o)

> or will they leave me
> alone if I wear a "Friend of Steve Kramer" T-shirt?

Can you spell 'TARGET?' ;op

Steve Kramer
Chiang Mai, Thailand
http://www.photoenvisions.com
Six years, two months, one week, three days, 1 hour, 41 minutes and 2
seconds. 67892 cigarettes not smoked, saving $18,670.33. Time used for a
better purpose: 33 weeks, 4 days, 17 hours, 40 minutes.


--
"The voyage of discovery lies not in seeking new horizons, but in seeing
with new eyes." - Marcel Proust