Author: Newley

Hi. I'm Newley Purnell. I cover technology and business for The Wall Street Journal, based in Hong Kong. I use this site to share my stories and often blog about the books I'm reading, tech trends, sports, travel, and our dog Ginger. For updates, get my weekly email newsletter.

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Thailand

Bangkok Terror Alert Update: Suspect Leads Police to Ammonium Nitrate and Fertilizer

Here’s the latest on the Bangkok terror alert story, which I blogged about earlier.

Bloomberg reports today:

Thai police charged a Swedish- Lebanese man suspected of plotting a terrorist attack in Bangkok after finding bomb-making materials in a building on the capital’s outskirts.

Atris Hussein, 47, was charged with possessing illegal substances after being detained on Jan. 12 in connection with a plan to attack tourist sites frequented by Americans and Israelis, said Charamporn Suramanee, the assistant police chief. Thai police have linked him and a second suspect still on the run to the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah movement.

“We are monitoring the situation and have increased forces to look after public areas,” Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra told reporters today. “The situation is under control. There is no problem.”

And:

About 200 policeman surrounded a building in Samut Sakorn province on Bangkok’s outskirts today and found fertilizer and ammonium nitrate, a chemical compound used in explosives, Charamporn said. Police spokesman Piya Uthayo yesterday said a second suspect was being sought.

The U.S. said in a Jan. 13 “emergency message” to citizens that “foreign terrorists may be currently looking to conduct attacks against tourist areas in Bangkok in the near future.” Embassy spokesman Walter Braunohler today said the warning remains in effect.

Police Chief Priewphan Damaphong told reporters that he believed Thailand was not the intended target of the attackers. Two days ago, he named the tourist area of Khao San Road and the downtown street Sukhumvit 22 as potential targets.

The suspects may have planned to use a car bomb at the Israeli Embassy, Jewish places of worship, tourist companies or restaurants, Defense Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapha told reporters on Jan. 13.

The AP says:

A foreign suspect with alleged links to Hezbollah militants led Thai police Monday to a warehouse filled with materials commonly used to make bombs, as Thailand and the U.S. disagreed over whether Bangkok was the target of a terror plot.

Police confiscated more than 8,800 pounds (4,000 kilograms) of urea fertilizer and several gallons of liquid ammonium nitrate during the early morning raid of a warehouse in Samut Sakhon, on the western outskirts of Bangkok, according to police and media reports.

And:

The raid came after the U.S. Embassy issued an “emergency message” Friday warning of a possible terror threat against Americans in Bangkok, and Israel sent out a similar warning to its citizens. A dozen other embassies have since urged their citizens to exercise caution.

The warnings come during heightened tension over U.S. and Israeli responses to the prospect that Iran is moving ahead with its nuclear program.

Thai authorities were caught off-guard by the U.S. announcement, hastily revealing they had detained a Swedish national of Lebanese origin with alleged links to pro-Iranian Hezbollah militants on Thursday and that intelligence indicated a plot could be carried out between Jan. 13 and 15. The defense minister said the news was not released earlier to avoid panic that could hurt Thailand’s tourism industry, one of the country’s biggest revenue earners.

Damage control continued Monday, with the prime minister calling for calm.

And finally:

The U.S. Embassy said Monday it stood by its warning of a possible attack in Bangkok.

“Whenever we have specific, credible, not-counterable threats, it is our responsibility to inform Americans in Thailand,” said embassy spokesman Walter Braunohler. “That’s what we did Friday. We issued an emergency message, and that remains in effect.”

(All emphasis mine.)

There are also stories from Reuters and CNN.com.

Categories
Thailand

Another Bangkok Terrorism Threat Update: Police Detain Lebanese Man Said to be Linked to Hezbollah

To follow up on my last two posts…

The AP reports:

Thai police were on Friday questioning a Lebanese man with alleged links to Hezbollah militants as the U.S. Embassy warned of a “real and credible” threat of a terrorist attack against American citizens in Bangkok.

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung said Thai authorities received a tip-off before New Year’s of a planned attack, which was said to target Israelis.

“At first we were told the Palestinians were behind it but it turned out to be the Hezbollah,” he told The Associated Press.

He said police detained on Thursday a Lebanese suspect with alleged links to Hezbollah, an avowedly anti-Israel militant group.

Bloomberg says:

Thailand said it arrested a Lebanese terror suspect less than three hours after the U.S. warned of a possible attack in Bangkok and urged citizens to exercise caution in public areas.

Thai police arrested a suspect linked to Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah, Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung told reporters. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra confirmed that police had made an arrest.

“The situation is normal,” Police Chief Priewpan Damapong told reporters. “There is nothing to worry about.”

(All emphasis mine.)

Categories
Misc.

Update — Analyst to Bloomberg: Terror Threat “Generic”

A quick update to my previous post: Bloomberg reports:

The threat is “generic” and likely related to U.S. moves to sanction Iran over its nuclear weapons program, according to Anthony Davis, a Bangkok-based analyst at IHS Jane’s.

The U.S. is “looking at pro-Iranian groups that might possibly react to what may very well go down in the Straits of Hormuz and possibly beyond,” Davis said. “It seems unlikely that terrorist attacks would be launched before the situation in the Middle East has escalated significantly.”

Tensions over the ratcheting up of sanctions led Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi to threaten on Dec. 27 that Iran may block the Strait of Hormuz, the transit for about a fifth of the world’s oil, if the European Union bans exports from the Islamic Republic.

(Emphasis mine.)

Categories
Misc.

U.S. Embassy Warns of Possible Terrorist Threat in Bangkok

An emailed alert from the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok at 1:40 p.m. local time today warned of a “possible terrorist threat” here in the Thai capital.

The statement, now available on their Web site, says:

Emergency Message to U.S. Citizens: Possible Terrorist Threat

This message alerts U.S. citizens in Thailand that foreign terrorists may be currently looking to conduct attacks against tourist areas in Bangkok in the near future. U.S. citizens are urged to exercise caution when visiting public areas where large groups of Western tourists gather in Bangkok.

U.S. citizens are encouraged to maintain a heightened awareness when out in public; be alert for unattended packages/bags in public/crowded places and report any suspicious behavior to the nearest law enforcement personnel. We also encourage you to keep a low profile in public areas, particularly areas frequented by foreign tourists.

Some citizens subsequently received a recall note, but that was apparently sent in error.

The end of the statement says:

Note: Due to a technical error, some recipients received this message – followed by a recall message – a few minutes later. Please disregard the recall message.

For ongoing updates, you can also find the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok on Twitter at: @USEmbassyBKK.

(Emphasis mine.)

Categories
Misc.

See you in 2012

2011 12 24 gone fishin cake

I won’t be posting anything here until the week of Jan. 9.

You might catch me on Twitter before then, though.

If you’re looking for something to read, check out the recent stories I link to from my Journalism page.

Or click over to the Popular Posts page for evergreen Newley.com posts.

I hope you have an excellent holiday season. Thanks, as ever, for reading.

(Image via.)

Categories
Thai politics

NYT on Thailand and Lèse-Majesté

More on the issue of Thailand’s lèse-majesté laws, which I mentioned in my last two posts: The New York Times has a story today summing up the situation:

At the entrance to a neighborhood in Bangkok’s garment district, residents have posted an unambiguous message on an archway decorated with an image of Thailand’s king.

“If you live in Thailand, you must be loyal,” reads a sign prominently suspended over the road. “If you are not loyal, you are not Thai.”

Thailand has always stood out for the deference that many Thais openly show toward their monarch. But in the twilight of the reign of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 84, now weakened and living in a specially outfitted suite in a Bangkok hospital, dedicated loyalists are leading a feverish, with-us-or-against-us campaign to defend him. At the same time, the government has intensified a crackdown on criticism of the monarchy, prosecuting a record number of people charged with royal insults.

Passions over the monarchy have escalated to the point where some Thais say they fear the situation could turn violent.

“We have reached a stage where people would want to drive you out of the country or even want to kill you for having different thoughts,” said Anon Numpa, a lawyer who represents a dozen clients accused of royal insults.

The royalists say they feel under attack, most recently from outside the country. On the Internet, thousands of Thais have posted angry comments on the U.S. Embassy’s Facebook page since a Thai-born U.S. citizen was convicted of insulting the king.

Worth a read.

(All emphasis mine.)

Categories
Thai politics

Yesterday’s Royalist Protest at U.S. Embassy

To follow up on my post regarding recent discussion of Thailand’s lèse-majesté laws, I wanted to share this Bloomberg story from yesterday:

Hundreds of Thai royalists called for U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney to “get out” of the country after a State Department official questioned the conviction of an American for insulting King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Siam Samakkhi, which means United Siam, submitted letters to the UN and U.S. today urging them to avoid commenting on the lese-majeste law, group member Tul Sitthisomwong said. About 200 members of the organization, waving royal flags and holding pictures of King Bhumibol, shouted “Kristie get out!” in front of the embassy in Bangkok today.

Worth a read.

Elsewhere, VOA has a story and some photos.

And there’s more from the Bangkok Post.

Categories
Thai politics

Thailand’s Lèse-Majesté Laws: Very Much in the News

Just a quick note to point out that Thailand’s lèse-majesté laws, which make it illegal to insult the royal family, are very much in the news these days.

Here’s a cell phone photo of today’s Bangkok Post front page:

Photo 4

The main story seen above — “Royalists step into lese majeste row” — says:

The controversy over Article 112 of the Criminal Code, also known as the lese majeste law, is heating up with royalist group Siam Samakkhi (United Siam) deploring the UN, the US and the European Union for “attempting to interfere” in the country’s judicial system.

The group said the critics lacked understanding of the constitutional monarchy after they called for reforms of the lese majeste law.

The international community appears troubled by recent court rulings in two lese majeste cases. It says they are inconsistent with international standards of freedom of expression.

Siam Samakkhi said criticism of the lese majeste law is based on partial information and a lack of understanding about the consequences of violating the lese majeste law.

And today’s Nation reports:

The US Embassy in Bangkok got a taste of sorts of the “freedom of expression” medicine after Thai political rivals faced off with plenty of obscenities on its Facebook page over the past few days.

With some comments disappearing from the Facebook page yesterday, questions were asked if the embassy really adheres to the democratic principles it preaches. In a reply to a Twitter user, American Ambassador Kristie Kenny said, “As you know, we welcome a vibrant exchange of views. Just ask that it be kept civilised and respectful of all involved”.

A U.S. Embassy statement today notes:

This message is to alert you that on Friday, December 16th, a large group—possibly as many as 1200 people—will gather in front of the U.S. Embassy on Wireless Road. The exact time of the demonstration is unknown, but most of the demonstrators are expected to arrive between 1300 and 1600 hours.

(All emphasis mine.)

More soon on the topic of lèse-majesté, I’m sure. But I wanted to share these links for now.

Categories
Misc.

No Posts for the Next Week

2011 12 09 gone fishin

I won’t be posting anything here until Dec. 15 at the earliest.

In the meantime, I may be on Twitter, but dispatches there will likely be few and far between.

Thanks, as ever, for reading. More soon.

Image via.

Categories
Thailand

U.S. Citizen Gets Two-and-a-Half Year Jail Sentence for Insulting Thai King

The AP reports:

An American who translated a banned biography of Thailand’s king and posted the content online while living in Colorado was sentenced to two and a half years in a Thai prison Thursday for defaming the country’s royal family.

The verdict is the latest so-called lese majeste punishment handed down in the Southeast Asian kingdom, which has come under increasing pressure at home and abroad to reform harsh legislation that critics say is an affront to freedom of expression.

The 55-year-old Thai-born American, Joe Gordon, stood calmly with his ankles shackled in an orange prison uniform as the sentence was read out at a Bangkok criminal court.

The New York Times says:

A Thai court on Thursday sentenced a U.S. citizen to two and a half years in prison for insulting King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the latest case in the government’s crackdown on criticism of the monarchy.

Joe Gordon, who was born in Thailand but has lived in the United States for the past three decades, was convicted of translating and posting to the Internet portions of a book, “The King Never Smiles,” which is published by Yale University Press and banned in Thailand.

The BBC has a short video and a text story:

Thailand has jailed a US citizen for two and a half years after he admitted posting web links to a banned biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Joe Gordon, a used car salesman from Colorado who was born in Thailand, admitted lese-majeste, or insulting the king, at an earlier hearing.