The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has gone all out in stepping up security in the city after three bombs (grenades) went off on Tuesday. Two of the three bombers have already been arrested in Bangkok, and the third was captured in Malaysia, after he managed to flee Thailand, but the BMA is taking no chances. More security guards are appearing at Bangkok's malls, markets and tourist attractions, as well as in areas where tourists tend to congregate.
Several Bangkok shopping malls have also added plain clothes security officers, after Thai police learned the bombs that exploded on Tuesday were allegedly meant for Israeli diplomats. I say "allegedly" as some in Thailand don't believe Iran was involved but, instead, think the Bangkok bombs and others that exploded in India last week were due to a concentrated campaign by Israel to discredit Iran and force the US to declare war.
Whoever was the real culprit in Tuesday's bombings, Thailand is setting out a plan to protect its tourists -- an important part of the country's economy. The problem is, as many westerners who live here are saying, Thai security guards are notorious for being poorly-trained, terribly paid and quite inept so, if any of them actually did see and report something suspicious, some believe it would be a miracle.
But, the BMA and the Thai government are putting on a show anyway, so that the tourist industry will not be harmed.
As a long-term resident of Bangkok, I don't feel any less safe in the city than I did before Tuesday's bombings, and neither do any of the people I know. The bombs themselves were not planned, but exploded either by accident or due to one bomber's idiocy. No targets in Bangkok have been announced nor, it would seem, are they likely to be. So tourists to Thailand's capital are about as safe as they would be in any othe major world city.
However, one good thing has come from the bombings and the government's "Let's Save Thailand's Tourist Industry" campaign. Thousands more jobs for Thai security guards which, in and of itself, will help boost Thailand's economy.
Whether they're actually worth having or not, now that's a different story.
