The Australian government has not made any alterations to its travel warnings for Thailand despite the US upgraded travel advisory warning its citizens of a likely attack in the capital of Bangkok.
The US upgraded its advisory of Friday, warning of a terrorist threat against western interests that could in the near future.
- The Australian government has not altered its travel warning for Thailand.
The heightened travel warning came following an announcement by Thai officials that a Lebanese man with suspected links to militant group, Hezbollah, had been detained for questioning.
“Foreign terrorists may be currently looking to conduct attacks against tourist areas in Bangkok in the near future,” the US embassy in Bangkok says in an emergency message posted on its website.
“US citizens are urged to exercise caution when visiting public areas where large groups of Western tourists gather in Bangkok.”
A senior intelligence officer with the Thai government who did not want to be identified said that a warning was received by officials last month by the Israeli embassy.
The suspect was taken into Thai custody on Thursday, while another man believed to be connected with the terrorist plot had already fled the country.
The country’s deputy prime minister, Chalerm Yubamrung, said that the detained suspected was being interrogated by authorities.
“We already have one suspect in custody for interrogation at a government building in Bangkok. He is a Hezbollah from Lebanon,” he said.
“I want to assure people that there is nothing to worry about. The police will take care of the situation and everything will be under control.”
A representative for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Australia said that the current advisory for its citizens was to “exercise a high degree of caution” in Thailand due to the threat of a potential terrorist attack.
This applied particularly in the provinces of Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Songkhla, where tourists were advised not to travel.
The spokesperson said that the overall recommendation for travellers visiting Thailand had not changed as a result of the US government’s upgraded travel advisory.
“We encourage all Australians in Thailand to read and subscribe to the travel advice and to register their details though on smartraveller.gov.au,” she said.
The warning comes as another shock to Thailand’s image as a tourist-friendly country, which received a battering last year due to the country’s worst floods that killed more than 800 and covered one-third of the country.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has said that citizens have nothing to worry about despite the upgrade in travel warning.
See Australia’s travel warning for Thailand here.
