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Jitters aside, Thais return to Bangkok

Sniffer dogs and extra security forces patrolled transport hubs across Thailand yesterday as hundreds of thousands of residents flooded back into Bangkok despite fears of a repeat of the deadly New Year bombings.

The military-backed government has beefed up security at bus terminals, train stations and airports as hundreds of thousands of people returned to the Thai capital after a four-day weekend for the New Year holiday.

Eight coordinated explosions in Bangkok on New Year's Eve killed three and injured 38, including nine foreign tourists, in the first violence in the capital since the September coup that toppled prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Coup leader General Sonthi Boonyaratglin has blamed the blasts on politicians from Thaksin's government trying to destabilize the country, and summoned four of them to appear before the junta for questioning.

Thaksin, who is in exile in Beijing, has denied any involvement in the attacks.

Extra security forces and bomb-sniffing dogs were deployed at Bangkok's new Suvarnabhumi Airport as well as at airports around the country, said Chotisak Asapaviriya, president of Airports of Thailand.

"We have implemented the highest level of security measures since early December at all airports across the country, and especially at Suvarnabhumi where we have currently deployed 2,000 security guards and bomb-sniffing dogs," he said.

The military has helped provide additional security at other airports, notably in Chiang Mai and Hat Yai.

The normally tranquil Chiang Mai was rattled by a small bomb attack at a mosque on Monday, while Hat Yai periodically suffers violence linked to an Islamic separatist insurgency in Muslim-majority provinces along the border with Malaysia.

Transport Company, which operates all of Thailand's inter-city bus stations, said that armed soldiers and police were currently patrolling the main terminals around Bangkok to ensure public safety.

"Security at all bus terminals is at 100 percent. We have also instructed terminal managers to carefully inspect all luggage, while security staff will search every bus," acting president Wuthichart Kalyanamitra said.

Some 200,000 people were expected to arrive in Bangkok by bus yesterday, he said.

Another 120,000 people were expected to return to the capital by rail, said Monthakarn Srivilas, spokeswoman for the State Railway of Thailand.

"We have sent out 200 extra railway police on top of our regular staff. They will patrol both on trains and at train stations. We will also be monitoring the stations on closed-circuit television, and have sent out bomb-sniffing dogs," she said.

Bangkok's governor and foreign embassies have urged people to stay at home, but few people appear to have followed the advice.

Tourism officials have reported no immediate cancelations in the wake of the blasts, two of which hit an area dotted with five-star hotels during the critical holiday season, a major highlight of Thailand's US$13 billion tourist industry.

The government has taken pains to deny that the attacks were linked to the insurgency in southern Thailand, where more than 1,700 people have been killed in three years of violence.

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Analysts bearish on Thai markets after bombings

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