Bangkok (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Moscow’s secret services have warned colleagues in Thailand to be on "high alert" of Islamic State (SI ) attacks against sensitive Russian "targets", and tourist areas of the country.
According to the Kremlin at least ten militants originating in Syria have crossed the borders of Thailand in recent weeks, as the country is preparing to inaugurate its busy tourist season. The main target is reportedly Russian tourists who flock to the beaches of the Asian nation; particularly Phuket and Pattaya, plus the capital Bangkok.
On 30 September Moscow launched air strikes against sensitive Daesh (Arabic acronym for the IS) targets in Syria, which registered an escalation in recent weeks; in response jihadists have threatened attacks against Russian citizens and interests worldwide. The recent crash of a Russian airliner flying over the skies of Egypt last October, which killed 224 people, was claimed by IS.
Songpol Watthanachai, police spokesman, said that "for the moment, it is only the exchange of information" transmitted by the FSB (former KGB) and his department are still "awaiting verification". The internal note of the security forces is dated November 27, and is classified as "confidential" and "urgent". "The FSB warns us - says the policeman - against a possible IS attack, who want to hit Russian interests in Thailand."
The Christmas and New Year holidays is peak tourist season for Thailand; many Russian travel from Russia to the Asian country. Among the favorite destinations of the beaches of Pattaya, about a two hour drive from Bangkok.
This area, according to reports from the Thai police, is where "ten Syrians linked to the IS have established themselves after arriving in Thailand between 15 and 31 October 2015". Other sensitive areas include the capital and Phuket. However, so far there is no confirmation of Thai citizens or Muslims in the area having joined IS, unlike what other nations in the region such as Malaysia and Indonesia.
In August, a bomb hit the center of Bangkok, causing a dozen victims in the context of an unprecedented attack. To date there have been no official claims for the attack and police investigations have proven unclear. The official track points to the involvement of Uyghur militias, a Muslim minority of western China, in the Xinjiang region, but this is not concrete.
So far, Thailand has been spared by international terrorism and, in particular, the violence of the Islamic state. In the south of the country separatist rebel pro-Islamic movements are active protagonists of past attacks, but their struggle has no ties to the jihadist movements and terrorists worldwide.