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Showing results for tags 'terrorism'.
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Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports Wants Pokémon to Save Thailand Tourism
FarangFarang posted an article in News
According to an article in the Bangkok Post, Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports (MOTS), Kobkarn Wattanawarangun, has said the government will produce a booklet for master Pokémon players telling them how to excel at the game. She also claims to be in talks with the maker of the game to put more rare Pokémon, pokéstops, and gyms in Thailand in order to help encourage tourism. She even went so far as to say that she hopes the ministry’s efforts can help tourists forget about the recent bombings in Hua Hin and Phuket. I know a lot of people are thinking, “Hey, I was going to go to the Maldives this winter but, I gotta catch ‘em all so let’s go to Thailand instead.” But before you book your flight to Thailand it should be pointed out that: a) You can request all you want but it doesn’t mean you’re going to get it. I’m sure a lot of places would like to boost their tourism by piggybacking on the Pokémon craze but ultimately the game developer is the one who decides. And at this point they have not agreed to any of MOTS’ requests. Until the people responsible for putting bombs in tourist areas are caught, it seems inappropriate (some might even say self serving and irresponsible) to promote large groups of people gathering in one place. What better target for terrorists than groups of Pokémon Go players all gathered in one location trying to catch a rare Pokémon. c) Is this really the best the Thai government can come up with to boost tourism? Do they really expect people to travel thousands of miles to Thailand to play a Japanese game that can be played nearly everywhere else in the world? d) This last one may come as a surprise to some but the Thai government has a tendency to contradict itself. While Kobkarn is asking Pokémon Go creator, Niantic to add rare Pokémon in Thailand, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) is also asking Niantic to restrict certain locations from their game so people do not go to those areas. The NBTC has even threatened an outright ban of the game unless Niantic cooperates with their no-go zone demands. Obviously Kobkarn is just doing her job but she doesn’t need to announce every idea she has. MOTS could have rolled this out without telling the press it was designed to restore confidence in Thailand. Because, really, it does nothing to restore confidence. It’s a distraction. It’s an attempt to create noise so people forget about a very real problem that hasn’t been resolved yet. And it’s not even a good distraction. It sounds silly and sure to have near zero impact on people’s perceptions of Thailand or their willingness to visit Thailand. -
According to an article in the Bangkok Post, Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports (MOTS), Kobkarn Wattanawarangun, has said the government will produce a booklet for master Pokémon players telling them how to excel at the game. She also claims to be in talks with the maker of the game to put more rare Pokémon, pokéstops, and gyms in Thailand in order to help encourage tourism. She even went so far as to say that she hopes the ministry’s efforts can help tourists forget about the recent bombings in Hua Hin and Phuket. I know a lot of people are thinking, “Hey, I was going to go to the Maldives this winter but, I gotta catch ‘em all so let’s go to Thailand instead.” But before you book your flight to Thailand it should be pointed out that: a) You can request all you want but it doesn’t mean you’re going to get it. I’m sure a lot of places would like to boost their tourism by piggybacking on the Pokémon craze but ultimately the game developer is the one who decides. And at this point they have not agreed to any of MOTS’ requests. Until the people responsible for putting bombs in tourist areas are caught, it seems inappropriate (some might even say self serving and irresponsible) to promote large groups of people gathering in one place. What better target for terrorists than groups of Pokémon Go players all gathered in one location trying to catch a rare Pokémon. c) Is this really the best the Thai government can come up with to boost tourism? Do they really expect people to travel thousands of miles to Thailand to play a Japanese game that can be played nearly everywhere else in the world? d) This last one may come as a surprise to some but the Thai government has a tendency to contradict itself. While Kobkarn is asking Pokémon Go creator, Niantic to add rare Pokémon in Thailand, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) is also asking Niantic to restrict certain locations from their game so people do not go to those areas. The NBTC has even threatened an outright ban of the game unless Niantic cooperates with their no-go zone demands. Obviously Kobkarn is just doing her job but she doesn’t need to announce every idea she has. MOTS could have rolled this out without telling the press it was designed to restore confidence in Thailand. Because, really, it does nothing to restore confidence. It’s a distraction. It’s an attempt to create noise so people forget about a very real problem that hasn’t been resolved yet. And it’s not even a good distraction. It sounds silly and sure to have near zero impact on people’s perceptions of Thailand or their willingness to visit Thailand. View full article
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Thailand is the world’s ninth most-prone country to terrorist attacks, according to a ranking devised by a British-based firm specialising in risk management and terrorism insurance. Thailand No. 9 in terror risk | Bangkok Post: breakingnews
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Terror suspect planned Bangkok attack, says website Hezbollah planned Mumbai-style attack on Chabad Bangkok, Khao San restaurants Published: 17/01/2012 at 05:33 PM Online news: World A detained Lebanese Hezbollah terrorist suspect was part of a planned attack on the Chabad Jewish community centre near Khao San road in Bangkok, according to a news website which specialises in intelligence reporting. Debkafile said on Tuesday that its sources confirmed that Hussein Atris, who was arrested by Thai police at Suvarnabhumi airport on Friday night, was part of a planned attack along the lines of al Qaeda's attack on the Mumbai Chabad [Jewish] centre in 2008, involving the taking of hostages and blowing up the building. Eight Jews were killed in the attack. The Debkafile website also has pages in Hebrew. According to the sources quoted on the English language page, the planned attack would have been even deadlier because Chabad Bangkok is larger. The sources also said that two or three ''Hizballah'' (sic) groups were to launch coordinated attacks simultaneously this month, and one of them was to strike at restaurants that are popular with Americans and Israelis on Khao San road. Detained Lebanese Hizballah suspect Hussein Atris (Photo by Surapol Promsaka Na Sakolnakorn) On the arrest of Mr Atris, Debka sources said, "Thai police were waiting for the suspect at the airport after receiving alerts from US and Israeli counter-terrorist agencies, which had advance information about the coming attack. "The tip-off originated with Lebanese nationals living in Bangkok who had been approached for assistance. Those informants, who did not trust the local authorities to act, went straight to Western and Israeli contacts, who then published terror alerts to US and Israeli travellers." As for other suspected Hezbollah members in Thailand, the website believed they "managed to escape by plane from Bangkok or by crossing into Laos and catching a flight there, although other sources believe they are still hiding out in Thailand waiting for another chance to strike". National Security Council secretary-general Wichean Potephosree said the US embassy should issue its terror warning in a more subtle manner. Pol Gen Wichean said the US embassy should have had contacted the Foreign Affairs Ministry first. The former national police chief also questioned whether the Lebanese man carrying a Swedish passport was actually a terrorist. "Authorities must be careful when labelling someone a terrorist as it could bring about serious consequences," he said. Israeli authorities had warned the Thai government about possible terrorist acts each year following a terrorist bomb attack in Thailand in 1994. Both sides had been keeping in touch regularly, Pol Gen Wichean said. Yesterday, police raided a three-storey commercial building in the Mahachai area of Samut Sakhon after Mr Atris confessed that explosive materials were hidden there. They found 4,380 kilogrammes of urea-based fertiliser and 290 litres of ammonium nitrate, used in making explosives, but the suspect told investigators that they were not intended for use in any planned attack in Thailand. They were to be exported. Investigators were reported to have said they believed him. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/275565/terror-suspect-planned-bangkok-attack Totally contradicts the Thai perspective. Wonder how accurate this one is?
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http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/security/275394/stockpile-of-explosive-materials-found This is one of those stories that makes me want to punch people in the face. It's so full of lies, bullshit, and outright stupidity I can't tell who I'm more angry with, the people who said this shit or the the reporters who printed it without noting how full of shit the people who said it are. So, a foreigner in Thailand was able to get all of this stuff without raising any red flags with the Thai authorities? Oh, and he did it all by himself since capturing one Lebanese dude seems to have concluded the investigation, right? Ahhhh, well, if the terrorist told you he had no plans to blow up any bombs in Thailand then you gotta take him at his word. Terrorists don't lie. Also, doesn't it seem a tad odd that the police strongly stress that there were no plans to bomb Thailand while PM Yingluck is pleading with the US and UK to retract their terrorism warnings which they fear will harm tourism? Really? This is how you tell the difference between a competent government and one that is just pretending to be a government. Wouldn't the correct message to get across be: PM FarangFarang said, "We were lucky that we were able to catch this person in a timely manner however the government would still like to remind people to be extra vigilant and report any suspicious packages or people to their local police. While we believe that we've captured everyone involved, and there is no evidence that Thailand had not been a target for the bombs, until we've exhausted every lead and have a better understanding of the suspect's activities and intentions, please use extra caution." No offense there PM Yingluck but given the choice of believing Israeli and US intelligence or Thailand's always ready to give themselves a pat on the back police force, I'll stick with the US and Israel. Oh, and considering that this guy accumulated 4,500 kg of bomb making materials in Thailand without the police being aware of it and only making the arrest after the US and Israel issued warnings about this guy . . . . uhm, yeah, I'm going to put my money on US and Israel, thank you.
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With all this **** going on, ..... troops being killed day in and day out, in Afganistan, and Iraq, the potential for a large scale Bush like crisis in Iran, and Kim Jong NutCase in N korea, its been easy for Isreal to go Gung Ho into Gaza and totally **** it over big time with very little said, whats going on there now is just totally ******* sick! When are we going to kick these trigger happy fucks in the face and stop funding them?
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One week ago I woke up with a cold perspiration. The radio didn't communicate that people wanted to listen, the normal news of every Thursday. For example, the soccer teams ready for the next match of Saturday, the state of the highways or the temperature that the day would present us. But this Thursday was special. 10 bombs had killed 200 people in the near station of trains of Atocha. I didn't want to believe it. 200 people and 1600 injured in a terrorist attack in a station of trains that every day thousand students thousands go, workers, women, children... Here, in Spain, the terrorism is not something new for us. For 30 years a group of inhuman independentistas with the name of E.T.A. makes many mothers cry, fiancés, friends with the death of much good people that only thinks different that them. But this day was a horrible day. In those trains they didn't go arrogant political, only simple people that went to their University or their jobs. Still today, the newspapers talk about the faces of injured people, on the hospitals where more than 30 people they still fight for their life, and mainly about the madness of the terrorism. Spain is a friendly land, we receive all with the open arms. Here from the beginning of the times we have lived with Greek, Roman (Hispania for them), Arabs (Al-Andalus), Jews (Sepharaf), barbarians, American, gypsies... .All has lived in peace among them and with us... .I only want peace for all, to be able to speak and to be able to feel well with all ...because for all, Spain is a country of happiness, a happiness that March 11 were changed by the pain. Thanks for everybody that support us in this tragical days.