ID :
150222
Wed, 11/17/2010 - 18:04
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/150222
The shortlink copeid
Thailand dismisses terrorism risk study by British firm
BANGKOK, Nov 17 - Thailand's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday brushed aside an international study which ranked the kingdom among the extreme risk nations, saying it did not reflect actual situation in Thailand.
Sixteen countries including Colombia, Thailand, the Philippines and India were classified as being at "extreme" risk of attack, with Thailand ranking seventh in the Terrorism Risk Index (TRI) complied by the UK-based Maplecroft company, a global risks advisory firm.
Acting Information Department director-general and ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdi said the ministry was vetting the details of the global study.
He said the ministry initially believed that the risk assessment was calculated from certain areas in Thailand such as the southernmost provinces where insurgents regularly launched attacks.
The TRI report did not reflect the actual overall situation in the kingdom, he said.
Mr Thani said Thailand is still popular among tourists from around the world and Travel+Leisure magazine, a leading worldwide travel magazine, recently named Thailand’s capital as the World’s Best City 2010 for living and travelling in a survey conducted among its readers.
Thailand’s Samui and Phuket islands in the South were ranked fourth and fifth respectively among the Best Islands in Asia, he added.
Moreover, the renowned travel guide Lonely Planet picked Chiang Mai as among its top ten hottest cities for 2011.
Global risks advisory firm Maplecroft said in its website that the index uses data from June 2009 to June 2010 to assess the frequency of terrorist incidents and the intensity of attacks, which includes the number of victims per attack and the chances of mass casualties occurring. It also includes a historical component assessing the number of attacks between 2007 and 2009 and looks at whether a country is at risk from a long-standing militant group operating there. (MCOT online news)
Sixteen countries including Colombia, Thailand, the Philippines and India were classified as being at "extreme" risk of attack, with Thailand ranking seventh in the Terrorism Risk Index (TRI) complied by the UK-based Maplecroft company, a global risks advisory firm.
Acting Information Department director-general and ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdi said the ministry was vetting the details of the global study.
He said the ministry initially believed that the risk assessment was calculated from certain areas in Thailand such as the southernmost provinces where insurgents regularly launched attacks.
The TRI report did not reflect the actual overall situation in the kingdom, he said.
Mr Thani said Thailand is still popular among tourists from around the world and Travel+Leisure magazine, a leading worldwide travel magazine, recently named Thailand’s capital as the World’s Best City 2010 for living and travelling in a survey conducted among its readers.
Thailand’s Samui and Phuket islands in the South were ranked fourth and fifth respectively among the Best Islands in Asia, he added.
Moreover, the renowned travel guide Lonely Planet picked Chiang Mai as among its top ten hottest cities for 2011.
Global risks advisory firm Maplecroft said in its website that the index uses data from June 2009 to June 2010 to assess the frequency of terrorist incidents and the intensity of attacks, which includes the number of victims per attack and the chances of mass casualties occurring. It also includes a historical component assessing the number of attacks between 2007 and 2009 and looks at whether a country is at risk from a long-standing militant group operating there. (MCOT online news)
