Just how smart is Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra? .. Or is he just trying to protect Thailand's massive tourist industry in the wake of the Bali bombing? In statements released yesterday Thaksin stated that the "government had been conscious of the growing threat of terrorist activities and remains confident that the Kingdom is not currently a target for any such disruption". Furthermore "...I can assure [you] that our country is safe..."

Thaksin is a fan of Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad, and this could well have come from the latter's mouth, in a country where air quality ratings are banned from publication for the fear that they may "scare tourists away".

The Bali attacks, as argued in my earlier item today, has just made it far more likely that terrorism is targeting non Muslim Western oriented symbols. Since the US attacks, terrorists have obviously shifted some attention to South East Asia, and to tourism targets rather than targets symbolizing power and international business.

Phuket, as the second most well known tourist destination after Bali in South East Asia is an obvious target, even though the terror modus operandi is surprise. Yet today, tourists in Phuket seem relatively unpeturbed. Like Indonesia, buying and bribing your way into opportunities is commonplace in Thailand. There is no reason to think that Phuket is any more safe than any other Western tourist destination in the world.

No question about it. Thaksin is either bar bar baboor (crazy), go hock (lying) or Baghwan (sweet mouth). Should tourists in Thailand be targeted in future, Thaksin's arrogant and innocent statements may come back to haunt him...