Terror attacks in Thailand: events and their causes. Who blows up Thailand? The southern provinces have long been a war zone

Now on the streets of Thailand, instead of relaxed guests of the kingdom, you can see only vigilant policemen. After that died down on August 11 and 12 at the resorts, law enforcement officers are closely monitoring the situation in the country.

It is quite obvious that the tourism industry in Thailand has become the main target of the current attacks. The resorts under attack are in great demand among foreigners, and besides, the tourist season is approaching. If in summer time those who want to relax have enough other, cheaper and no less beautiful destinations, then in the autumn and winter months the kingdom is most popular among lovers of the sea and the sun.

Accordingly, the question arises - to fly or not to fly to Thailand? Will it be safe this year in a warm and exotic country, or do tourists urgently need to look for other options?

President of the Association of Travel Agencies of Kazakhstan (ATAK) Asel Nurkebayeva believes that it is too early to draw conclusions now. According to her, it is necessary to wait for the investigation of the case.

“There were no official statements from the Thai authorities regarding the explosions, whether it was a terrorist attack or some kind of hooliganism. Therefore, it is premature to draw any conclusions and give recommendations to our Kazakhstani tourists whether or not to go to Thailand. So far, according to the data, there were no our tourists at the epicenter of these events. Especially since the season hasn't started yet. It opens in late September - early October. That is, there is no influx of Kazakh tourists in Thailand now,” Nurkebayeva said.

Meanwhile, a number of foreign media reports that the organizers of the attacks were not ISIS, but local criminals who have nothing to do with international terrorism. According to some reports, the country's authorities, commenting on what happened, called the incident "local sabotage", "limited to certain areas." Proceedings in the case and the search for those responsible for the deaths of people will take some time. In the meantime, Nurkebaeva noted that the Association of Travel Agencies of Kazakhstan will monitor the situation in this country.

“Naturally, we will focus on the statements of the official authorities. We will ask them for some kind of guarantee for our tourists so that this does not happen. AT this moment there are a lot of bad events in the world and, as we have seen from the latest experience, it is not safe even here in Kazakhstan,” she said.

“Firstly, in this case, you can’t visit crowded places and, secondly, you should immediately contact the diplomatic and consular services of Kazakhstan in the territory of that country, wherever tourists are,” she added.

In addition, it is worth noting that once in the epicenter of riots or terrorist attacks, you must comply.

Of course, as practice shows, negative news reports often do not lead to the total surrender of vouchers and the abandonment of the planned vacation. So far, tour operators believe that the current attacks are unlikely to affect the flow of people to Thailand in a significant way. However, there is always a possibility that the situation in the country will begin to deteriorate, which will inevitably be followed by the recommendation of the Kazakh Foreign Ministry to refrain from traveling to this country, which should not be ignored.

Recall, according to the latest data, 11 bombs exploded on August 11 and 12. Three Thai cities were attacked: Hua Hin, Phuket and Phangnga. As established by the police, the bombs in the city of Hua Hin were hidden in the flower beds. The criminals set them in motion with the help of a remote control. Four people became victims of the attacks, more than 30 were injured. Moreover, all the dead are subjects of the kingdoms. Among the wounded are British, Austrians, Italians, Dutch and Germans.

The explosions in Thailand came on the birthday of Queen Sirikit, wife of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. This holiday is also the national Mother's Day in the country. It is also worth noting that the current series of terrorist attacks occurred a few days before the anniversary of another tragedy that shook Thailand on August 17, 2015. Then the victims of the explosion that thundered near the Hindu sanctuary of Erawan, more than 20 people became victims, and at least a hundred more were injured.

The authorities deny the connection of the incident with international terrorism

A whole series of explosions occurred on Thursday evening and Friday morning at resorts in Thailand. Four people became their victims, several dozen were injured. Among them were foreigners, according to local police.

Although it is not known exactly who organized the explosions, Thai law enforcement agencies deny the connection of what happened with international terrorism. Meanwhile, back in December last year, there was a rumor in the media citing sources in the Thai police that the Islamic State (a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation) was preparing terrorist attacks against foreign (and in particular, Russian) tourists.

Moreover, there are doubts that the current attacks were staged by separatists who advocate separation from Thailand of the southern regions, where the majority of the population is Muslim. The most high-profile terrorist attack in the south of the kingdom was a series of explosions on March 31, 2012 in the provinces of Yala and Songkhla. Their victims were 16 people.

Now the authorities, commenting on the latest explosions, are talking about some kind of "local sabotage", in addition, "limited to certain areas." It is possible that opponents of the ruling military regime, which came to power about two years ago and recently held a constitutional referendum, which strengthened the army's ability to influence the country's politics, could be behind the explosions. It is noteworthy that on Friday the 84th birthday of Queen Sirikit is celebrated in Thailand. And the military in power has repeatedly stated that their top priority is protecting the monarchy.

If we talk about “linking” to dates, we can see that the current series of terrorist attacks happened a few days before August 17, 2015. Then, as a result of an explosion near the Hindu sanctuary of Erawan, more than 20 people died (among the dead, 14 people were foreigners, including 7 citizens of China and Hong Kong), more than 100 were injured ...

It is quite obvious that the tourism industry of Thailand, which is one of the pillars of the economy of this Asian country, has become the main target of the terrorists. All explosions occurred south of Bangkok. One of them thundered on Patong Beach in Phuket, and three in the seaside resort of Hua Hin.

In Hua Hin, the attacks were staged on a crowded street where there are many bars and restaurants. A tourist died there, as well as a food peddler. Among the victims, according to media reports, there are citizens of Great Britain, Austria, Italy, Holland and Germany. According to police, the bombs were hidden in the flower beds and activated by remote control with a difference of half an hour.

Two more bombs were detonated in front of police stations in southern Thailand in the district of Surat Thani. One person died and three were injured. Two explosions took place near the market in Fang-Na - fortunately, no one was injured there.

One person was killed in a bomb blast in the southern province of Trang. In just 24 hours, 11 bombs were detonated in 5 Thai provinces.

In Thailand over the past two weeks there have been several explosions at once. As a result of the terrorist attacks on August 11-12, arranged for the birthday of the Queen of Thailand in the city of Hua Hin, just 200 kilometers from Bangkok, four people were killed, 35 were injured, including 10 foreign tourists. And on August 23, a triple explosion outside a hotel in Pattani province in the southern part of the kingdom left one person dead and 29 injured.

Thai Prime Minister for Security Affairs and Defense Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan said the attacks were unrelated. A source in the kingdom's police said the attack in Pattani could be an attempt by any of the radical groups operating there to disrupt the peace negotiations that Bangkok is trying to establish with the secessionist south. The dissatisfaction of the southerners may be caused by the fact that a few days before the August attacks, a new constitution was adopted that consolidates the power of the military in the country and gives them the opportunity to win the elections in 2017. Tourists from this, however, are not easier. Moreover, on August 10, a bomb was also found in Phuket, the most popular Thai resort. Although it did not explode, the police and army on the island were put on high alert. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged Russians visiting the kingdom to be careful due to the unstable situation in the southern regions of Thailand. But how big is the danger threatening tourists?

On the one hand, tourism revenues account for 21 percent of Thailand's GDP, and any blow to this area will be sensitive. On the other hand, so far the explosions do not occur during the high tourist season and away from vacationers, which draws the attention of a Thai security expert, ex-CIA officer Paul Quagli. And those explosions that occur in resorts happen early in the morning, while there are still few people on the street.

"The kingdom is learning quickly and is taking every measure to keep tourists safe," Thai Tourism Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul said. "I also want to emphasize that it is not in the nature of Thais, friendly and open people, to organize terrorist attacks." Among the measures taken by Bangkok are negotiations with the Malaysian side. The Thais intend to establish cooperation with their southern neighbor in search and capture of terrorists. According to Elena Fomicheva, an employee of the Center for Southeast Asia, Australia and Oceania of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, so far the attackers really tried not to cause much harm to tourists. However, explosions in the Hua Hin resort on August 11-12, located far from the so-called separatist areas, as well as a bomb found in Phuket, give reason to conclude that the terrorists are now hinting to the authorities that they are ready to hit holidaymakers as well. “I don’t think that we should refuse to travel to Thailand if everything is already prepared, but we must be careful there and avoid crowded places,” says Fomicheva.

The organizers of the attacks - the so-called "southern insurgents" - are a number of radical organizations fighting for the independence or, at least, for the broad autonomy of the three southern provinces - Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat. Ideally, they want to create independent state, the so-called Great Patani (Patani Darussalam), which will include the south of Thailand and the north of Malaysia. These areas are predominantly populated by Muslims, both local and people from Malaysia, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Uighur regions of China. Historically, the demands of the separatists date back to XVIII century, when the Thai (Siamese) king Rama I annexed the independent Patani Sultanate to his lands.

At the same time, while some of the insurgents are radical and agree only to complete independence, others are ready to accept if Bangkok grants them greater independence. In addition, the southern regions of Thailand are experiencing the same problems as the rest of the kingdom. This is a stratification into rich and poor, political instability, complex relationships between elites. “In addition, an external factor cannot be ruled out,” Fomicheva believes. “Yes, so far, none of the radical groups like Daesh (an organization banned in the Russian Federation) has claimed responsibility for the terrorist attacks in Thailand, but it cannot be ruled out that the Islamists in the south of the kingdom maintain links with other terrorists around the world." In addition, the expert recalls, now China is increasing its influence in Southeast Asia, while Thailand is traditionally an ally of the United States. And in the struggle for influence between Beijing and Washington, the factor of separatism in Thailand may well be used.

Terrorist attacks are not new for Thailand, the conflict between the central government and the southern separatists turned into a bomb stage back in 2006, when about 50 explosions occurred in the south of the country. True, the attacks turned out to be much less bloody than the current ones, three people died. In August of the same year, more than 30 bombs exploded simultaneously in the same southern provinces. In the fall of 2006, there were a number of terrorist attacks, then on the eve of the new year, 2007, explosions were heard in Bangkok. But since this did not lead to numerous casualties, the dangers of Thailand were quickly forgotten. “In Thailand, after two years of calm, a period of instability may come again,” said Sitinan Pongsudhirak, an expert at the Institute for Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. “It is better for the military in power not to overestimate their strength, but to think about how to get out of the current endgame ".

People react negatively to misfortunes, especially when they are arranged by specially radical groups. It is especially scary to read about the events taking place in the resort areas, where it is customary to relax and forget about the danger. The attacks in Thailand caused an uproar among travel enthusiasts. The "Land of Smiles" was previously considered a fairly safe territory. What has changed and why? Let's figure it out.

Pre-Events

Experts have known for a long time that terrorist attacks in Thailand are likely. The activity of ISIS (an organization banned in the Russian Federation) has become more active all over the world. Terrorists prefer to infiltrate countries that have "holes" in the security system. And the secret services of Thailand - a thing, as experts say, is relative and useless. Law enforcement officers of the country are capable, perhaps, of neutralizing a thief. No one has heard of systemic measures aimed at curbing the terrorist threat here. Representatives of the Russian community living in the "Land of Smiles" wrote a lot about this. They know better than anyone what precautions are being taken in the Russian Federation. Compared to them, nothing was done in Thailand. The militants had the opportunity to receive from behind the cordon almost freely. And to install them at the airport, in public institutions and places of mass congestion of vacationers is a matter of technology. In the absence of a desire on the part of government agencies to increase precautionary measures, it remained only to wait for the thunder to strike. And the time has come.

Terror attacks in Thailand (2016)

Explosions began in mid-August. According to media reports, the militants used a special scheme that could potentially increase the number of victims. As experts later found out, the attacks in Thailand were carried out according to the tactics of double explosions. It consists in the fact that two bombs are immediately laid at a short distance. The time of the explosion is regulated in such a way that law enforcement officers and onlookers attracted by the first fall under the second one. The power of the bombs is not very large.

The tactics did not lead to the planned casualties, the police worked. On August 11-12, eight explosions sounded in the south of the country, killing four people and injuring thirty-five. According to law enforcement officials, the devices that carried out the terrorist attack in Thailand (August 2016) are identical to the ISIS bombs. That is, here you can see a clear technical trace of militants terrorizing the countries of the Middle East. Terrorists planted devices in recreation areas with the expectation that tourists would suffer. They succeeded. Ten foreigners were among the wounded.

Damage from terrorist activities

The death of citizens is not the only thing that the militants managed to achieve. The attacks in Thailand led to large fires, which destroyed many buildings and other property. The damage is estimated at over four million US dollars. In addition, multiple fires are hitting the attractiveness of the resort area. But it is tourism that brings income to such a state as Thailand. Phuket, where the terrorist attacks brought a lot of grief, at the same time, for example, is one of the main destinations for travelers. Terror attacks in this zone scare away people who ensure the growth of the country's economy. Experts argue that this illegal activity may be politically motivated. In early August, a referendum took place in the country, which approved changes to the Constitution. But some political forces do not agree with this. They could contribute to the activity of the radicals, harming the main industry that provides the filling of the budget.

Law enforcement successes

Thailand is a politically complex country. It is ruled either by democratic forces or by the military. Coups do not cause a special response in the world media, however, they happen regularly. The attacks in Thailand are a reflection of the internal struggle. Agree, this does not make it easier for tourists. Terrorist bombs can go off at any time, naturally, no one will indicate the place in advance. Government Services try to carry out work on early warning of danger. So, some of the devices were found and neutralized in August. This happened because the tactics of double explosions were unraveled. Near the scene of the tragedy, they immediately looked for another device. The authorities believe that the attacks are a temporary phenomenon. There is an opinion that behind this series of explosions there is one politician, angry with the results of the referendum. Whether this is really so, the investigation will show. And tourists should be careful when purchasing a tour. As it turns out, you can’t feel confident even in the “Land of Smiles”.

The explosion took place in the Thai province of Narathiwat. An improvised explosive device was planted on a police route and, apparently, should have worked at the time of the passage of the patrol. However, the 20 kg bomb detonated when no one was around. The explosion is associated with the separatist movement in the southern regions of the country. This was another wake-up call not only for the security services of Thailand, but also for tourists. Last week, the radical separatists for the first time chose the resort areas of the country as their target.

The explosions that took place at the resorts in southern Thailand on August 11-12 and claimed the lives of four people were also linked by the authorities with the separatists of the "extreme south". According to the authorities, the Barisan Revolusi Nasional group may be behind the explosions.

In the neighboring Philippines, the radical Islamist separatist group Abu Sayyaf swore allegiance to the banned Islamic State (IS) in Russia back in July 2014. IS claimed responsibility for the January 2016 bombings in the Indonesian capital Jakarta. Explosions on August 11-12 in Thailand are not associated with this organization. However, these attacks bring the separatists closer to IS, whose attacks are aimed at intimidating the widest possible sections of the population.

Photo report: A series of explosions in Thailand, there are dead and injured

Is_photorep_included10121603: 1

If Thai separatists have switched to ISIS tactics, foreign Islamist fighters may be drawn to the "extreme south". And this will already lead to significant destabilization in Thailand.

A large part of the blame lies with the country's authorities, who for many years brutally suppressed the separatists and turned them from a spontaneous regional opposition into an effective militant group.

Extremely cruel south

The “Far South” in Thailand refers to several provinces on the border with Malaysia, where Yawi Malays live, these are Songkhla, Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala. Ethnic Thais represent a smaller proportion of the population in these provinces. They live mainly in cities, represent there middle class and the elite. Their religion is Buddhism. The majority of Yawi Malays are poor, poorly educated rural population who practice Islam.

It turns out a clear ethno-religious economic division: rich Thais and poor Malays. These social contradictions caused at first protests, and later - the armed struggle of the Malay underground organizations against the government and local Thais.

Peaceful protests with various economic demands periodically took place in the cities of the "extreme south". From the perspective of the Malays, an upsurge of violence occurred in 2004 during the rule of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. He has consistently tried to solve the "Malay question" by force from the very beginning of his reign in 2001. Underground groups aimed at armed resistance immediately began to emerge among the Malays. In April 2004, about a hundred Malays tried to attack police stations in Pattani Province. Among them are several dozen teenagers.

There are two versions of further events: state and Malay. From the point of view of the state, the attackers were well armed, but the police were able to successfully repel the attacks. Most of the attackers were killed, 32 surviving teenagers aged 15-20 took refuge in the ancient stone mosque "Krue Se". Army special forces stormed the mosque, all who were there were killed.

Malay version: the attacks against the police were an act of desperation, the teenagers were armed mainly with knives, only a few people had pistols, so the police managed to deal with them so easily. What happened in "Krue Se" is a demonstrative massacre. Allegedly, the military themselves took the arrested to the mosque and shot them.

At least a few days later, Senator Kraisak Choonhavan announced that most had been shot in the head.

Why did the military choose Krue Se? The answer for the Malays is obvious: this is the oldest mosque in the "extreme south", the legacy of the independent Great Pattani Sultanate (it existed for 200 years, was captured by the Thai kingdom at the end of the 18th century), one of the symbols of the former greatness of reality. A total of 108 Malays died that day. This is the first episode that has led to an escalation of violence between the state and the Malays.

The second occurred in October of the same 2004. In the town of Tak-Bai on the border with Malaysia, the police arrested six local residents. They were accused of terrorist activities and possession of weapons by one of the underground organizations. Local men gathered to protest, demanding that the arrested be released.

To disperse the demonstrators, the authorities used special police units and the army. The dispersal was abundantly covered by TV journalists, so the events of Tak-Bai for the Malays became the clearest evidence of the policy of oppression on ethno-religious grounds.

The beginning of the war

Tear gas and small arms were used against the demonstrators. Seven people died on the spot. Hundreds of people were beaten and forced by the military to take off their pants or traditional sarong skirts and lie down on the ground. The detainees were then loaded into covered trucks to be taken to police stations. During the trip, another 78 people died from lack of air, people had to lie on top of each other. Prime Minister Shinawatra fully supported the actions of the military.

After these events, the resistance of the Malays acquired a more brutal and massive character. The government had to reinforce roadblocks in rural areas. Periodically there were skirmishes between the Malays and the security forces. Improvised explosive devices have exploded near police stations and army bases or along military routes. Buddhist monasteries, schools and government institutions were attacked.

The main demand of the underground organizations of the "extreme south" is to grant independence to four provinces populated mainly by Malays: Songkhla, Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani. As for what the future of these provinces should be, the positions of the undergroundists diverged. Some called for unification with Malaysia, others believed that it was necessary to create an independent state called Great Pattani, as the Sultanate of Yawi was once called.

According to the results of 2004, there were about 1 thousand acts of violence in the "extreme south", one way or another connected with separatism. About 400 people died. The following year, 500 people died.

The Thai military was already on constant duty in monasteries and schools. The departure of the monks outside the monasteries took place in armored vehicles, accompanied by soldiers. Ethnic Thais began to leave the region.

All this time, violence did not spread beyond the "extreme south". The separatists seemed to make it clear: we are fighting for our own land, we do not need someone else's.

Foreigners become the target

Although the government accused the separatists of being Salafism, a radical Islamic movement, the Malays did not attack or take foreigners hostage. If foreigners became victims of explosions, it was by accident. In places of rest, on the beaches, terrorist attacks were not carried out. For example, in the city of Songkhla on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand, there is a small diaspora of foreigners, and clashes between the separatists and the government did not affect them in any way.

In the province of the "extreme south", including in rural areas, which the Thai military considers extremely dangerous, the negativity of local Malays towards foreigners was not felt at all until very recently. Local residents, on the contrary, are friendly and glad to a foreigner - for them this is a rather rare occurrence.

The Thai military and police paid little attention to the rare foreigner: they know he is not a separatist target.

After the overthrow of Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006, the military took power in Thailand and tried to stabilize the situation in the "far south". The new chairman of the government, General Surayud Chulanont, initiated the start of peace negotiations with the separatists. Meetings between government officials and separatists took place in Malaysia. The Malaysian government in every way emphasized its commitment to the territorial integrity of the neighbor and normalization in the regions of the "extreme south". However, the negotiation process has stalled.

The very next year, the government again accused the Malay separatists of links with the terrorist Al-Qaeda and the Taliban (banned in Russia). The confrontation is back on track.

Since 2011, Thaksin's sister Yingluck Shinawatra has become the prime minister of the country as a result of victory in parliamentary elections. Under her, violence in the south of the country acquired the character of a full-fledged civil war.

Violence was drastically reduced in the autumn of 2013, when massive opposition protests against the government began in the capital, Bangkok, the so-called Yellow Revolution.

The separatists supported the protests. Malay civil organizations took part in the demonstrations. Opposition leaders, including the leading Democratic Party, promised to solve the problems of the "far south" peacefully and criticized Yingluck Shinawatra for military operations against the Malay population.

In May 2014, Yingluck was arrested by the military (for several months they remained neutral in the "yellow revolution"). The new government was again formed from army officers, headed by the current Prime Minister of the country, Prayut Chan-Ocha. He did not take serious steps to resolve the conflict in the "extreme south". This conflict continues to this day.

On Monday, August 15, an explosion occurred in the province of Yala: an explosive device went off under the roadbed, which was patrolled by the military, two marines were injured. In total, since 2004, 6.5 thousand people have died in the armed conflict in the "extreme south", mostly civilians.

On the morning before the attacks on the resorts of Thailand, the state-run Thai Rath published an article that criticized the authorities for being too “soft” on the separatists in the Muslim south.

Whether the resort bombings will force the Thai leadership to reconsider this concept will become clear soon.