Has Thailand introduced the new security measures as in US and some parts of Europe, requiring all passengers to switch on all portable devices before embarking ?

Posted by reader on July 11, 2014 12:31

Good for AoT, passengers complain but as I once complained at Tel Aviv airport when they took me aside for questioning and held a 747 just for me the reply I received was that they were more concerned that the plane arrived than what time it arrived. In the times we live in with recent security upgrades to flights to the US security should be a priority. Sadly even tourist locations are not safe from bombings as shown by the Bali bombing.

Posted by Fiesty Farang on July 11, 2014 12:48

Fiesty Farang - As good as Security may be, the entire result of this extra security is pushed on us, because of governments like to blow other countries up for little to no reason.
When people stop interfering with other peoples problems, then less problems will return.

Posted by Tbs on July 11, 2014 13:48

TBS you are spot on. Just more fallout because of the American's and their "War of terror." There was none of this nonsense before Bush became President. It was proved after 9/11 the anthrax attacks originated in America with American produced anthrax. All this fear-mongering is contrived to remove our freedoms and rights - and treat us all like we are all suspected terrorists. I'm sick of it.

Posted by Arun Muruga on July 11, 2014 14:10

AM, you should write to Obama and just tell him that as a self appointed representative of all those countries that benefit from US foreign aid, he should just keep his $ 50 billion In a place where the sun don't shine!

Posted by Manowar on July 11, 2014 14:28

@Arun and Tbs what would you prefer to have to spend another 5 or 10 mins before you fly or have some nutcase like Suddam Hussein left in power and getting nuclear warheads. He attacked Israel in the first Gulf War with basic weapons. Remember Israel was one of the countries he hated. So he get nuclear weapons and fires them on Israel and it is possibly the end of the world. Israel is well equipped with nuclear weapons to fight back.

Posted by Fiesty Farang on July 11, 2014 14:29

The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs has just released the new, stricter border restrictions we keep hearing about which will be implemented fully beginning August 12th, 2014.
No. 0303/C.10893 July 11, B.E. 2557
"As of August 12th, 2014, no foreigner will be allowed to use any entry point (international airport or land boarder) to:
1: Obtain visa exemption entries when they have more than one visa exemption in the last 5 years.
2. Enter using a tourist visa, non-immigrant B visa, or any other visa if they have more than 2 consecutive entries at that entry point at any point in the past 10 years.
3: Enter the country.
4. Exit the country.

Posted by Whistle-Blower on July 11, 2014 15:17

And just where do the like of Saddam get these weapons you talk about? Oh that's right!! from the U.S. When Iraq was fighting Iran America openly supported Saddam by providing weapons.

Wiki explains some of the deceit-

## Howard Teicher served on the National Security Council as director of Political-Military Affairs. He accompanied Rumsfeld to Baghdad in 1983. According to his 1995 affidavit and separate interviews with former Reagan and Bush administration officials, the Central Intelligence Agency secretly directed armaments and hi-tech components to Iraq through false fronts and friendly third parties such as Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Kuwait, and they quietly encouraged rogue arms dealers and other private military companies to do the same:

The United States actively supported the Iraqi war effort by supplying the Iraqis with billions of dollars of credits, by providing U.S. military intelligence and advice to the Iraqis, and by closely monitoring third country arms sales to Iraq to make sure that Iraq had the military weaponry required. The United States also provided strategic operational advice to the Iraqis to better use their assets in combat... The CIA, including both CIA Director Casey and Deputy Director Gates, knew of, approved of, and assisted in the sale of non-U.S. origin military weapons, ammunition and vehicles to Iraq. My notes, memoranda and other documents in my NSC files show or tend to show that the CIA knew of, approved of, and assisted in the sale of non-U.S. origin military weapons, munitions and vehicles to Iraq.

According to retired Army Colonel W. Patrick Lang, senior defense intelligence officer for the United States Defense Intelligence Agency at the time, "the use of gas on the battlefield by the Iraqis was not a matter of deep strategic concern" to Reagan and his aides, because they "were desperate to make sure that Iraq did not lose." When the Iraqi military turned its chemical weapons on the Kurds during the war, killing approximately 5,000 people in the town of Halabja and injuring thousands more, the Reagan administration actually sought to obscure Iraqi leadership culpability by suggesting, inaccurately, that the Iranians may have carried out the attack.##

So the Americans turned a blind eye to Iraq using chemical weapons against the Iranians but then made up another cock and bull story about them to illegally invade Iraq. Hypocrites or what?

Posted by Arun Muruga on July 11, 2014 15:35

The Americans also provided Iraq with biological weapons.

## On February 9, 1994, Senator Riegle delivered a report -commonly known as the Riegle Report- in which it was stated that "pathogenic (meaning 'disease producing'), toxigenic (meaning 'poisonous'), and other biological research materials were exported to Iraq pursuant to application and licensing by the U.S. Department of Commerce." It added: "These exported biological materials were not attenuated or weakened and were capable of reproduction."

The report then detailed 70 shipments (including Bacillus anthracis) from the United States to Iraqi government agencies over three years, concluding "It was later learned that these microorganisms exported by the United States were identical to those the UN inspectors found and recovered from the Iraqi biological warfare program."[

Posted by Arun Muruga on July 11, 2014 15:39

@Arun - shall we let the Arabs rule the world, you do you prefer, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Saudi? The only democracy in the Middle East is Israel. Are you saying democracy is bad? The world never has been or will be a Utopia. Stop moaning.

Posted by Fiesty Farang on July 11, 2014 18:53

So the US was correct in stating that Iraq had chemical and biological weapons based on the knowledge that they supplied them.
One way to ensure intelligence is accurate!

Posted by Manowar on July 11, 2014 20:40

Whenever I come across people sticking it to the US, I'm always reminded of Jack Nicholson's famous "You can't handle the truth.." scene in the movie A Few Good Men - dunno why really - it was a good movie though. Google it.
Anyways my family & I left Phuket on Sunday & the hand luggage check was no big deal - they were mainly taking water bottles, lighters etc.
I think today's threats are not always about invading countries & borders - it's all about ideologies - think of the rise in extremism in All countries - particularly right-wing,& the tragedy in Syria. This is a consequence if many global issues of which anti-US sentiment is one. Terrorism is now "portable" - extremist cells can & do operate anywhere - people can carry their ideologies from one country to the next. 8, 10, 20 hours is a long time to sit on a plane - gives one a long time to think - perhaps stew over things that make your blood boil, make plans & perhaps not all good. The men who planned & executed the 9/11 attacks flew to the US & embedded themselves for a long time in society. Sadly, it did mark the end of innocence & complacency in border security. So I for one don't mind a few minutes to have a bag check - if it might prevent some nut with an axe to grind from causing a spot of bother at 40,000 feet.

Posted by Anonymous on July 12, 2014 06:37

Whistle-Blower
Could you give an authoritative source for the new Visa Regulations have quoted. Other than a post to a "jokes" forum subsequently removed, I can't find it anywhere. I'm assuming that an announcement of such importance and impact on tourists as implied in your quote would have been picked up and reported upon by PW among other sources.
Anyone else?

Posted by Alan on July 12, 2014 17:16