Tourists warned away from Thailand
Britain and the United States have warned people to stay away from southern Thailand because of the possibility of terrorist attacks.
The British Foreign Office warned of a “threat to British and other Western targets from terrorism in Thailand”, it was reported in Bangkok.
“You should be especially vigilant in public places, particularly tourist sites, large resorts and hotels favoured by Westerners, and in airports, on public transport and in nightclubs, bars, restaurants, shopping centres and places of worship,” a statement said.
The US State Department said: “The far south of Thailand has experienced incidents of criminally and politically motivated violence, including incidents attributed to armed local separatist or extremist groups.”
While most of the attacks have targeted buildings and people associated with the government, “some of the recent violence has been indiscriminate,” it said, recommending that US citizens avoid non-essential travel to the provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala, Satun, and Songkhla.
Thai officials believe Muslim separatists are behind the upsurge of violence that began in January, although they have said some attacks may stem from personal conflicts. More than 60 people have died.
Two unidentified gunmen entered a railway station in the southern Narathiwat province today and opened fire at the station master, Somnuk Wongkiham, injuring him seriously, police said.
