Country Reports on Terrorism 2014 - Thailand

Overview: Thailand's counterterrorism cooperation continued to be productive, although domestic political challenges remained the government's key security priority. In late 2014, Thai security officials expressed moderate concern about the threat to Thailand from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), particularly given the reported travel of fighters from neighboring Southeast Asian nations and to the Middle East. There was no confirmed evidence of Thais joining ISIL, however, and no direct evidence of operational linkages between ethno-nationalist Malay Muslim insurgent groups in southern Thailand and ISIL or other international terrorist networks.

While Thai officials have long expressed concern that transnational terrorist groups could establish links with southern Thailand-based separatist groups, there have been no indications that transnational terrorist groups were directly involved in the violence in the south, and there was no evidence of direct operational links between southern Thai insurgent groups and regional terrorist networks.

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 conviction on less serious offenses.

Law enforcement units demonstrate 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 in counterterrorism cases. Semiannual reshuffles of senior ranks of government and security officials, and shifts directed by the post-coup government, hampered continuity in leadership. Interagency cooperation and coordination is sporadic, information sharing is limited, and the delineation of duties between law enforcement and military units with counterterrorism responsibilities is unclear. Law enforcement officials with counterterrorism responsibilities receive U.S. training, including through the Bangkok-based joint U.S.-Thai International Law Enforcement Academy. Additionally, the U.S. Department of State provides Antiterrorism Assistance training programs designed to enhance Royal Thai Police capacity to counter terrorism.

Land borders are relatively porous. In June 2012, the Thai government removed the Personal Identification Secure Comparison and Evaluation System (PISCES) from eight major points of entry and installed a locally developed program. At year's end, PISCES remained in place at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, which handles the majority of arrivals, but its continued implementation remained unclear. All passengers originating in Thailand traveling to or overflying the United States will continue to be vetted through the Secure Flight Program.

Thailand has an active market in fraudulent documents. Local law enforcement pursues fraud cases concerning official documents such as passports, birth certificates, and national identification; however, it does not prioritize investigating non-official documents such as financial records, school transcripts, and employment letters. Thailand has initiated investigations into multiple passport fraud rings, but has not yet conducted any prosecutions. Information sharing within the Thai government and with neighboring countries appeared limited.

In April, two dual Lebanese nationals suspected of being associated with Hizballah were detained in Bangkok and subsequently deported. Police stated they received intelligence that the pair plotted to attack an area in the capital popular with Israeli tourists. Separately, a Hizballah operative – who was storing 10,000 pounds of urea-based fertilizer and 10 gallons of liquid ammonium nitrate in a commercial building about 20 miles south of Bangkok when he was detained in January 2012 – was released and deported to Sweden in September 2014 after serving two years and eight months in prison.

Countering the Financing of Terrorism: Thailand belongs to the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering, a Financial Action Task Force-style regional body. Thailand's Counter Terrorist Financing Act (CFT), together with subordinate laws, came into effect in early 2013. The Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) is in the process of revising the CFT Act in order to quicken the designation process and to make updates to the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

In 2014, two unlicensed money changers were shut down and charged by the Bank of Thailand, which is revising its regulations to tighten control of similar financial activities. While AMLO did not identify and freeze terrorist assets of sanctioned individuals and organizations in 2014 in accordance with relevant UN Security Council Resolutions including 1267, 1988, and 1373, it froze US $581 in assets of one person designated on Thailand's domestic list as an individual engaged in terrorist financing activities. The case was being scrutinized by AMLO's litigation division at year's end.

For further information on money laundering and financial crimes, see the 2014 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), Volume 2, Money Laundering and Financial Crimes: http://www.state.gov/j/inl/rls/nrcrpt/index.htm.

Regional and International Cooperation: Thailand participated in international counterterrorism efforts, including through APEC, ASEAN, and the ASEAN Regional Forum.

Countering Radicalization to Violence and Violent Extremism: Following the May 2014 coup, the Internal Security Operations Command continued to organize outreach programs to ethnic Malay-Muslims to counter radicalization and violent extremism. Ongoing shortcomings of the justice system, however, contributed to support for the ethno-nationalist insurgency in Thailand's southernmost provinces. NGOs also reached 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.