Country Reports on Terrorism 2016 - Thailand

Overview: Thailand remained a productive counterterrorism partner, even as the government continued to focus on domestic political challenges as its primary security priority. The high volume of travel through Bangkok's main airport (a regional hub), an available market of illegal goods, and relatively weak oversight of banking make Thailand an attractive facilitation hub for illicit activity. Thai security officials expressed moderate concern about the threat to Thailand from ISIS amidst continued reports of foreign terrorist fighters from neighboring Southeast Asian nations traveling to the Middle East and the continued spread of ISIS-related content on social media. In November, Thai authorities publicly acknowledged they were investigating Thais who have expressed support for Southeast Asian ISIS-affiliated groups and ISIS propaganda via social media. Security authorities emphasized there was no confirmed evidence of Thai citizens joining ISIS, and denied any evidence of operational linkages between ethno-nationalist Malay Muslim insurgent groups in southern Thailand and international terrorist networks. The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs has publicly condemned ISIS violence.

2016 Terrorist Incidents: Insurgents carried out hundreds of attacks primarily in the southern region of Thailand. Methods included shootings, arson, and the use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and vehicle-born improvised explosive devices (VBIED). On August 11 and 12, a series of 11 near-simultaneous bombings and arson attacks struck seven provinces in Thailand's upper south, including the popular tourist destinations of Hua Hin and Phuket. The attacks, which killed four people and injured at least 37 people, were carried out with small IEDs triggered by cell phones. Thai police arrested one suspect in relation to the bombing, charging him with arson and possession of explosives. Police also issued arrest warrants for five other suspects who remained at-large. All of the suspects are from the restive southernmost provinces of Thailand where an ethno-nationalist separatist insurgency has been ongoing since 2004. Since the conflict began, insurgents have largely confined their attacks to the southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala, and parts of Songkhla. In October, Thai authorities in Bangkok arrested five suspects from the same region and claimed the arrests foiled an insurgent bomb plot targeting tourist sites in the capital.

Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security: Thailand incorporated terrorism offenses into its penal code in 2003, but most terrorism prosecutions fail to prove the necessary element of specific intent and therefore result in deportation or a conviction on less serious criminal offenses. In some cases, terrorism suspects are not charged with terrorism offenses due to political sensitivities.

Thailand's law enforcement units demonstrated some capacity to detect, deter, and respond to terrorist incidents. Multiple entities – including the Royal Thai Police, Department of Special Investigations, and elements of the Thai military – have law enforcement responsibilities on counterterrorism cases. Interagency cooperation and coordination are sporadic, information sharing is limited, and the delineation of duties between law enforcement and military units with counterterrorism responsibilities was unclear. Annual reshuffles of senior ranks of government and security officials hampered continuity in leadership.

Law enforcement officials with counterterrorism responsibilities received U.S. training through the Bangkok-based joint U.S.-Thai International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) and Department of State-funded training programs. Additionally, Department of State Antiterrorism Assistance training programs were designed to enhance Royal Thai Police capacity to improve border security.

Land borders are relatively porous. Thailand continued to use a less reliable locally developed program to screen travelers at major points of entry. Thai immigration systems at border crossings lack real-time connectivity with INTERPOL databases on foreign terrorist fighters and stolen and lost travel documents. All passengers originating in Thailand traveling to or overflying the United States will continue to be vetted through the Secure Flight Program. Beginning in 2016, Thailand began to collect and analyze advanced passenger information and passenger name records on commercial flights. The market in fraudulent documents remained active despite government efforts to crack down on criminal counterfeit networks. Information sharing within the host government and with neighboring countries appears limited.

Countering the Financing of Terrorism: Thailand belongs to the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), a Financial Action Task Force (FATF)-regional style body. Its financial intelligence unit, the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO), is a member of the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units. Thailand's Counterterrorist Financing (CFT) Act, together with subordinate laws, came into effect in early 2013. The AMLO revised the CFT Act in 2015, amending its rules and procedures for notifications of designations in accordance with the UN Security Council ISIL (Da'esh) and al-Qa'ida sanctions regime.

In cases where the Bank of Thailand has discovered unauthorized remittances, the bank has coordinated with the Royal Thai Police to arrest the perpetrators. In 2016, AMLO froze the assets of eight designated persons under the Thai CFT Act.

For further information on money laundering and financial crimes, see the 2017 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), Volume II, Money Laundering and Financial Crimes: http://www.state.gov/j/inl/rls/nrcrpt/index.htm.

Countering Violent Extremism: In 2016, Thailand lacked a Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) National Action Plan, as recommended by the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General's Preventing Violent Extremism Plan of Action, although the draft national counterterrorism strategy includes a focus on CVE. The government's Internal Security Operations Command continued to organize outreach programs to ethnic Malay-Muslims in southern Thailand to counter radicalization and violent extremism. The government also works with Muslim leaders to promote the teaching of moderate Islam, and improve interfaith dialogue between Muslims and Buddhists. Non-governmental organizations continued to reach out to communities in the southern provinces to provide services, identify the underlying causes of the area's violence, and provide outlets for peaceful political expression.

Thailand's Ministry of Justice in 2016 began a pilot project with the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute to evaluate more than 300 prisoners with ties to the insurgency in the southernmost provinces. The evaluation's goal is to identify ways for prison officials to limit the potential for radicalization of other prisoners and to help detainees who are pending release to reintegrate into society.

Regional and International Cooperation: Thailand participated in international counterterrorism efforts, including through Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the ASEAN Regional Forum. Although Thailand is not a member of the Global Counterterrorism Forum, it participated in its Foreign Terrorist Fighter Working Group.