Terrorist attack in Thailand April. ISIS as a resort: can militants pose a threat to tourists in Thailand

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-Ocha said that there are no Islamic State cells in the country. These are the conclusions reached by the Thai special services, having carried out an investigation at the signal of their colleagues from Malaysia. We will remind, earlier the Malaysian security forces through the channels of cooperation of the Association of States South-East Asia(ASEAN) have warned the kingdom that several IS militants are hiding in southern Thailand, where they have joined local Islamist groups.

"The investigation did not find any confirmation of information about the activities of IS in Thailand," - said the Prime Minister during a briefing on May 30.

According to the official, the security services have not identified any connection between the Thai separatists and the network of the Islamic State. The premier's speech on Wednesday was shown on the government program, which is broadcast by all TV channels in the kingdom.

Small-town separatism

The hotbed of terrorist activity in Thailand is located in the very south of the country - in a region inhabited predominantly by ethnic Malays-Jawi. There are few Thais in the provinces of Songkhla, Narativat, Pattani and Yala; they are distinguished from the Malays not only by their ethnicity, but also by their level of well-being - most Thais are richer than Malays, who live mainly in poor rural areas. The stratification also goes along the confessional line: Thais profess Buddhism, Malays - Islam. In addition, local Malays still remember that until the twentieth century they had their own state - the Sultanate of Pattani, whose lands at the beginning of the twentieth century were seized by Siam (the former name of Thailand. - RT). In 1909, Bangkok and London entered into an agreement to partition the northern Malay states. Under the terms of the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909, the territories inhabited by Malays were divided between Thailand and Great Britain, the opinion of the Malays was not taken into account.

The combination of historical and socio-economic factors has led to the emergence of a wide network of radical groups in Thailand. Malay Muslim separatists are pushing for the separation of the Malaysian regions from Thailand and the revival of the state of Pattani. Groups such as the Pattani Muslim Movement of Mujahideen (GMIP) and the Pattani United Liberation Organization (PULO) resort to violence and organize terrorist attacks against government officials and the Thai population.

According to a leading researcher at the IMEMO RAS EAT. Primakov Natalia Rogozhina, Islamists operating in the southern regions of Thailand from January 2006 to April 2014 committed 17 thousand attacks, over 10 years more than 6 thousand people were killed at the hands of Thai jihadists. This exceeds the death toll in the Gaza Strip in the same period.

Relative safety

Oddly enough, Thailand not only retains the status of a popular tourist destination, but even increases the foreign tourist flow. In 2016, 30 million foreign tourists visited the country - this is a record figure for the kingdom, the head of Thailand's tourism department, Yuthasak Supasor, explained to the media.

As the official noted, recently there has been an increase in tourist flow from Russia. According to the Thai Department of Tourism, last year 1.09 million Russians rested in Thai resorts, which is 23.3% more than in 2015. In addition, it is Thailand that is most often chosen as their new home by downshifters from all over the world, including Russia.

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The relative safety of foreign tourists in Thailand has been maintained over the past years not thanks to the efforts of the local authorities - it is just that the separatists themselves did not attack the visitors. The radicals did not set themselves the goal of destroying the tourism industry in Thailand, and also did not feel much hostility towards foreign powers. The internal conflict in Thai society hardly affected foreigners in the country.

However, the emergence of the "Islamic State" in the region may significantly change the current situation. IS acts as a catalyst for radical Islamists around the world, encouraging terrorists to change tactics. The countries of Southeast Asia are of particular interest to the Islamic State.

In 2015, Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong said that it was the southeastern region that became one of the main suppliers of militants to the Islamic State units.

"Hundreds of immigrants from southeastern countries have joined the terrorists, including Singaporean citizens," said Li Hsien Loong, adding that an entire battalion of Southeast Asia is fighting on the side of IS.

When the ISIS began to pursue setbacks on the Middle East front, the leadership of the jihadist group announced a change in their Asian strategy. Now, IS supporters are required not to travel to Iraq and Syria, but to promote the interests of an international terrorist group in their countries.

“This is not just propaganda, it is a serious threat. We definitely expect an increase in attacks in the region, ”said the head of the Malaysian special services Ayub Khan Mudin Pitchai, commented on the call of IS.

The Islamic State continues to increase its influence in the region. To date, 19 Islamist groups in Indonesia, five in Malaysia, and three jihadist organizations in the Philippines have taken the oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In Thailand, the presence of the "Islamic State" has not yet been recorded, however, according to experts, it is a matter of time.

On May 9, in the Thai city of Pattani, explosions thundered again - this time terrorists blew up a local supermarket. As a result of the explosion of two homemade bombs, 50 people were injured.

The Russian Federal Agency for Tourism has warned Russians about the dangers of travel to the Kingdom of Thailand.

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"In Thailand, there is a high level of terrorist threat against Russian citizens from radical Islamist groups operating in the country," - said in a statement published on the Rostourism website.

In particular, the agency fears that Russian citizens may be attacked by service personnel recruited by the Islamists in resort areas.

The Matrix of World Terrorism

So far, IS has not openly declared itself in Thailand, but the radical Islamist ideology of the Takfiris sooner or later may spread in the kingdom. There are serious prerequisites for this, experts say. According to senior researcher at the RISS Research Coordination Center (ASEAN) Leonid Gladchenko, although today Thai groups such as the Pattani United Liberation Organization are not involved in international terrorism, the situation may change in the future.

“Militants returning from Iraq and Syria will continue their activities at home, forming cells of the Islamic State in Thailand,” the expert noted in an interview with RT. “It should be noted that the countries of Southeast Asia already have this experience; in previous years, the region experienced a surge in terrorist activity due to terrorists returning from Afghanistan.”

Natalia Rogozhina adheres to a similar point of view. As the expert explained in an interview with RT, a new generation of separatists has now grown up in the south of Thailand; they are distinguished from their predecessors by greater radicalism, as well as a desire for publicity. If previously the separatists tried to stay in the shadows, the new generation, on the contrary, is trying to appear in the media, make public statements, and conduct propaganda on the Internet.

“In total, there are now about 10-15 such groups operating, these are small structures with from 100 to 200 people. They will fight for their goal of secession from Thailand by any means necessary. Many groups do not intend to enter into negotiations, which the Thai authorities have been trying to conduct since 2014. The radicals do not want to be satisfied with the granting of autonomy, referring to the negative example of Palestine, ”Rogozhina said.

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But the most important factor is the openness of the border with Malaysia, the expert explained. The fact is that money, weapons and people move freely between Thailand and Malaysia. And this despite the fact that IS has already spread its influence in Malaysia, part of the groups swore allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

“The Malaysian authorities are fighting a very tough fight against terrorism, and the radicals can be squeezed into Thailand, where they have ties with local Islamists. That is why Bangkok plans to build a wall on the border with Malaysia - but so far it is far from the implementation of these plans, ”the expert added.

At risk

Unfortunately, in an effort to preserve the flow of tourists, which brings the country more than 10% of national GDP, the Thai authorities are trying to minimize the terrorist threat. According to the official position of the Thai authorities, there is no terrorism in the country - they call the attacks of the Islamists not terrorist, but "separatist actions".

The question is whether the local authorities will be able to pay attention in time to the transformation of local separatists into Islamic State militants. According to experts, IS supporters will no longer direct their attacks against local officials and security forces, but primarily against tourists from countries waging a war with IS in the Middle East.

“If the Islamic State spreads its influence in Thailand, foreign tourists may become the main target of the Islamists. In American publications, this topic now runs like a red thread - the US is afraid that IS will try to recoup its defeats in Iraq and Syria on American citizens in Southeast Asia, ”Gladchenko said.

According to the expert, Russia is now leading an offensive against IS militants in Syria - it is obvious that the Russians may be in the same risk group as American citizens.

* "Islamic State" (IS) is a terrorist group banned on the territory of Russia.

Several explosions have occurred in Thailand over the past two weeks. As a result of the terrorist attacks on August 11-12, organized on 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. A triple explosion on August 23 near a hotel in Pattani province in the southern part of the kingdom resulted in the death of one person and injuries.

According to the Thai Prime Minister for Security and Defense Minister General Pravit Wongsuwan, the attacks are not linked. According to a source in the kingdom's police, the attack in Pattani may have been an attempt by any of the radical groups operating there to disrupt peace negotiations that Bangkok is trying to establish with the separatist south. The discontent of the southerners may be due to the fact that a few days before the August terrorist attacks, a new constitution was adopted, securing the power of the military in the country and giving them the opportunity to win the elections in 2017. However, this does not make it easier for tourists. Moreover, on August 10, a bomb was found in Phuket, the most popular Thai resort. Although it did not detonate, the police and army on the island were alerted. The Russian Foreign Ministry has urged Russians visiting the kingdom to be careful about the volatile situation in southern Thailand. But how great 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, while the explosions do not occur during the high tourist season and away from vacationers, which is pointed out by the Thai security expert, ex-CIA officer Paul Kwagli. And those explosions that occur at the resorts happen early in the morning, while there are still few people on the street.

"The Kingdom is learning quickly and is taking all measures to make the holidaymakers safe," said the Minister of Tourism of Thailand, Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul. Among the measures taken by Bangkok, and negotiations with the Malaysian side. The Thais intend to establish cooperation with their southern neighbor for the 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, until now, the attackers really tried not to cause much harm to tourists. However, the explosions in the resort Hua hin August 11-12, located far from the so-called separatist areas, as well as a bomb found in Phuket, suggest that the terrorists are now hinting to the authorities that they are ready to hit the rest. “I don’t think 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" - a number of radical organizations fighting for independence or, at least, for 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 inhabited predominantly by Muslims, both locals and immigrants from Malaysia, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Uyghur regions of China. Historically, separatist demands date back to XVIII century when the Thai (Siamese) King Rama I annexed the independent Sultanate of Patani to his lands.

At the same time, if some of the insurgents are radically disposed and agree only to complete independence, then others are ready to reconcile if Bangkok gives them more independence. Besides, southern regions Thailand is experiencing the same problems as the rest of the kingdom. This is the stratification into rich and poor, political instability, and complex relations between elites. “In addition, an external factor cannot be ruled out,” says Fomicheva. keep in touch with other terrorists around the world. " In addition, the expert recalls, now China is strengthening its influence in Southeast Asia, while Thailand is traditionally an ally of the United States. And in the process of the struggle for influence between Beijing and Washington, the factor of separatism in Thailand may well be used.

Terrorist attacks are nothing new for Thailand, the conflict between the central government and the southern separatists turned into the bombing stage back in 2006, when about 50 explosions took place in the south of the country. True, the attacks turned out to be much less bloody than the current ones, three people were killed. In August of the same year, more than 30 bombs exploded simultaneously in the same southern provinces. In the fall of 2006, a number of terrorist attacks took place, then on the eve of the new 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, there may be a period of instability again," said Sichinan Pongsudhirak, an expert at the Institute for Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. ".

Although it is not known exactly who orchestrated the bombings, Thai law enforcement agencies have denied any links to international terrorism. Meanwhile, back in December last year, a rumor circulated in the media with reference to 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, doubts are expressed that the current attacks were carried out by separatists who advocate secession from Thailand in the southern regions, where the majority of the population is Muslim. The loudest terrorist attack in the south of the kingdom was a series of explosions on March 31, 2012 in the provinces of Yala and Songkhla. 16 people became their victims.

Now the authorities, commenting on the latest explosions, are talking about some kind of "local sabotage", in addition "limited to certain regions." 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, may be behind the explosions. It is noteworthy that on Friday, Thailand celebrates the 84th birthday of Queen Sirikit. And the military in power have repeatedly stated that their top priority is to protect the monarchy.

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

It is quite obvious that the main target of the terrorists was the tourism industry in Thailand, which is one of the pillars of the economy of this Asian country. 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 with many bars and restaurants. A tourist was killed 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. Police said the bombs were hidden in the flower beds and were remotely controlled half an hour apart.

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

One person was killed in a bomb explosion in southern province Trang. In just a day, 11 bombs were detonated in 5 Thai provinces.

Several dozen people were injured in the explosion of two bombs in mall Pattani city in Thailand. According to local police, at least forty people were injured. One of the explosive devices was in a car parked next to the building. This was another attack by Muslim separatists in a country where the majority of the population is Buddhist.

This video, captured by one of the eyewitnesses to the incident, shows the moment the second bomb exploded.

People are helping the wounded in the area of ​​the explosion.

The second explosion came from a bomb planted in a car.

Rising flame in the car park

Inside the shopping center: footage after the explosion

Since 2004, more than 6,500 people have been killed in rebel attacks in the Muslim-dominated multinational provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat.
According to statements by the Thai military: in the latest case of explosions in the Pattani shopping center, about deaths not yet reported.
Insurgent attacks in southern Thailand have intensified over the past year. Apparently, this is due to the fact that last month the country's government rejected a proposal for a ceasefire from one of the separatist groups.

The consequences of the explosion, captured on video.