Thailand moves to calm fear over terrorist attacks

CHIANG MAI, January 15 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra orders the Foreign Ministry to seek coordination from the US and other countries to calm tourists’ fears over possible terrorist attacks in Bangkok. She assures that Thai authorities can guarantee the tourists' safety. The Thai Premier made the order on Sunday to avoid an impact on prospective tourists after 12 European countries and the United States had recently issued travel advisories about the possible terrorist attacks in the capital. Speaking to journalists after the mobile Cabinet meeting in Chiang Mai Province, Yingluck said these travel advisories are not official and she hopes the explanations from the Thai Foreign Ministry will help the international community better understand the situation in the country and maintain tourist arrivals. Yingluck said she has also ordered authorities concerned to beef security measures in important public places in order to guarantee the safety of people and the tourists. Meanwhile, at Khao San Road, local police and bomb disposal squads have been deployed to check suspicious persons and items. Police and security guards have also been deployed to strictly secure the US and the United Kingdom Embassies in Bangkok’s Witthayu Road around the clock. People are prohibited from taking photos of the embassies’ buildings. (TNA)