The Straits Times, February 28, 2007
By Nirmal Ghosh, THAILAND CORRESPONDENT
Political tension could escalate into unrest in March or April, says minister
By Nirmal Ghosh, THAILAND CORRESPONDENT
Political tension could escalate into unrest in March or April, says minister
HIGH ALERT: Passengers at a Bangkok skytrain station being checked with a metal detector. -- AFP
IN BANGKOK - THAILAND'S Defence Minister yesterday revised his warning about possible terror attacks in Bangkok, saying the threat did not come from Muslim insurgents but political forces abroad.
Defence Minister Boonrawd Somtas said last week he feared that Muslim insurgents in Thailand's restive south could extend their attacks to the capital.
But yesterday, he said simmering political tension could boil over into unrest next month or in April.
'The military's analysis is that the way political pressures are building at the moment, the situation will intensify in March or April,' he told reporters before going into the weekly meeting of Thailand's military appointed Cabinet.
Rival groups may take to the streets in political protest, and 'if we cannot contain the situation, it could lead to clashes, and unrest could break out', he said.
In an obvious reference to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, General Boonrawd said the possible attacks could be politically motivated by a 'man who is in exile and capable of causing trouble in the country'.
'This man is actively pulling strings from abroad,' he said.
The government has accused Mr Thaksin's supporters before, over the string of bombings in Bangkok on Dec 31 that killed three and injured dozens more.
Mr Thaksin strongly denied the insinuations.
No arrests have been made in connection with the New Year's Eve bombings, though police have said they have seven suspects.
Separately yesterday, General Saprang Kalayanamitr, a key member of the Council for National Security (CNS) that is the de facto power behind the government, repeated last week's warnings of militant activity in the capital.
He specified mid-March as a high-risk period, noting that March 13 is the anniversary of the founding of the insurgent group Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) - one of several organisations fighting for an independent Pattani in Thailand's far south.
Monday's Buddhist Makha Bucha holiday is also considered a vulnerable occasion, given that the last time militants launched coordinated attacks across the four southern provinces of Yala, Narathiwat, Pattani and Songkhla was on the first day of Chinese New Year two Sundays ago.
Security agencies remain on alert in Bangkok after warnings from key government figures last week.
Also last week, several foreign embassies issued travel advisories urging their citizens to be cautious in the Thai capital.
At the weekend, the deputy chief of the Bangkok Metropolitan police, General Kamol Kaewsuwan, told reporters: 'We have maintained our security measures at the maximum level since the bombs on Dec 31.'
Analysts have been warning that with Thai politics still in a state of flux, the apparent calm in the capital now may be deceptive.
Meanwhile, the former ruling Thai Rak Thai party's acting leader, Mr Chaturon Chaisang, has become the first high-profile politician to be charged with violating a ban on political activity imposed by the regime - for his speeches last week to party supporters in the north-east, the party's stronghold.
A spokesman for the CNS told reporters: 'He will be prosecuted for disobeying an official order. All of his activities, including meetings with students and discussions on Thai Rak Thai policies, are political activities.'
Defence Minister Boonrawd Somtas said last week he feared that Muslim insurgents in Thailand's restive south could extend their attacks to the capital.
But yesterday, he said simmering political tension could boil over into unrest next month or in April.
'The military's analysis is that the way political pressures are building at the moment, the situation will intensify in March or April,' he told reporters before going into the weekly meeting of Thailand's military appointed Cabinet.
Rival groups may take to the streets in political protest, and 'if we cannot contain the situation, it could lead to clashes, and unrest could break out', he said.
In an obvious reference to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, General Boonrawd said the possible attacks could be politically motivated by a 'man who is in exile and capable of causing trouble in the country'.
'This man is actively pulling strings from abroad,' he said.
The government has accused Mr Thaksin's supporters before, over the string of bombings in Bangkok on Dec 31 that killed three and injured dozens more.
Mr Thaksin strongly denied the insinuations.
No arrests have been made in connection with the New Year's Eve bombings, though police have said they have seven suspects.
Separately yesterday, General Saprang Kalayanamitr, a key member of the Council for National Security (CNS) that is the de facto power behind the government, repeated last week's warnings of militant activity in the capital.
He specified mid-March as a high-risk period, noting that March 13 is the anniversary of the founding of the insurgent group Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) - one of several organisations fighting for an independent Pattani in Thailand's far south.
Monday's Buddhist Makha Bucha holiday is also considered a vulnerable occasion, given that the last time militants launched coordinated attacks across the four southern provinces of Yala, Narathiwat, Pattani and Songkhla was on the first day of Chinese New Year two Sundays ago.
Security agencies remain on alert in Bangkok after warnings from key government figures last week.
Also last week, several foreign embassies issued travel advisories urging their citizens to be cautious in the Thai capital.
At the weekend, the deputy chief of the Bangkok Metropolitan police, General Kamol Kaewsuwan, told reporters: 'We have maintained our security measures at the maximum level since the bombs on Dec 31.'
Analysts have been warning that with Thai politics still in a state of flux, the apparent calm in the capital now may be deceptive.
Meanwhile, the former ruling Thai Rak Thai party's acting leader, Mr Chaturon Chaisang, has become the first high-profile politician to be charged with violating a ban on political activity imposed by the regime - for his speeches last week to party supporters in the north-east, the party's stronghold.
A spokesman for the CNS told reporters: 'He will be prosecuted for disobeying an official order. All of his activities, including meetings with students and discussions on Thai Rak Thai policies, are political activities.'
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