Article

2005-05-02 Southeast Asia

Thailand goes after cell phone terrorists

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Posted by Dan Darling 2005-05-02 1:13:58 AM|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 It's rather remarkable how many reasons people can come up with to stop a good move in the WoT.

"Won't be 100% effective" - okay, true. Nothing is. Perhaps Mr Wideman would be happy if the next cellphone detonated bomb took out his family. We'll all pretend it would have been one that the registration system couldn't have prevented. That should make it all better.

"They could scare away tourists and business people..." As if there's anyone on the planet with the means to vacation in TL that doesn't know about the asstard Muzzy terror acts down South? Or that there are businesses that don't know? On it's face, it has the ring of the cash register... under any level of real analysis, Mr Asvanund's statement is utterly stupid.

I would note that the average jihadi has an IQ hovering around comfortable room temperature. Sure there are a few smarter ones, but they're getting picked off too - so the talent is likely stretched thin and averaging near dumb as a rock. And this will continue to get better as time goes on.

Not doing what you can reasonably do to prevent terrorist acts is the real issue. When someone has the stones to stand up and do something constructive, perfect or not, they should be supported, not nibbled to death by the ankle-biters who have personal interests to defend, at the expense of higher safety for all. IHT seems to be down on the ankle level, since they closed with the asshat quotes. Brilliant.

Posted by .com 2005-05-02 2:27:33 AM|| 2005-05-02 2:27:33 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 Like a number of countries in SEA, everyone in Thailand has a government issued identity card that they are required to carry and present in various circumstances. So presenting evidence of identity is not the issue it would be in some countries. I don't know how easy these cards are to fake, but tightening up security is achievable and desireable for a host of reasons if fakes are widespread. And BTW the stolen SIM argument is a complete red herring. Telecos block stolen SIMs. The only ones they can't block are - you guessed it - anonomous prepaid SIMs.

Posted by phil_b 2005-05-02 4:57:47 AM|| 2005-05-02 4:57:47 AM|| Front Page Top

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