CANBERRA, Australia (28 June 2005) -- AUSTRALIANS travelling to Thailand are being warned that bombings and other attacks by extremists in the Muslim south could spread to the capital Bangkok. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) today updated its travel advice for one of the favourite playgrounds for Australian tourists. The department urges Australians to defer non-essential travel to the southern provinces of Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Songkhla, including overland travel through the region to Malaysia. DFAT says Australians in Thailand should exercise extreme caution as there is a continuing risk of terrorist attacks in South-East Asia generally. But the latest advice also focuses on the separatist insurgency in southern Thailand. "There have been numerous security incidents in these provinces since early 2004, including bombings of public areas and facilities," the advice says. "Further incidents are possible at any time. | | "While so far this violence has been limited to southern Thailand, the escalation of violence in the south may result in attacks elsewhere in Thailand including Bangkok and other tourist areas." More than 700 people have died in almost daily attacks or clashes with security forces since January 2004, when a bloody raid on a weapons depot triggered an uprising in the three southernmost provinces bordering Malaysia. The Thai government this week announced plans to fly spy drones over the Muslim-majority south and increase its security budget to cope with the insurgency. |
