Word: phuket
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...THAILAND: Soft targets Thailand has many. They read like a roll call of Asia's most popular tourist destinations: Phuket, Pattaya, Koh Samui. Thai authorities have been quick to hose down speculation that the kingdom is under threat of a Bali-style attack and have criticized Western governments for issuing travel advisories warning their citizens to avoid, or to take extreme caution, in areas where foreigners congregate. Yet the country is taking anti-terrorism measures. Bar patrons are being frisked, police patrols have been stepped up in places like Phuket, and soldiers are boarding boats for searches off southern Thailand...
...They say that the problems in the south are isolated cases, that the attacks are undertaken by criminals," says Rohan Gunaratna, author of a seminal study of al-Qaeda. "But they are making a fatal mistake. Jemaah Islamiah has infrastructure there, and there is no doubt that Phuket was considered on the list of targets before Bali. The Thais must act now or risk (having their own) Bali...
...Verbatim "This is the world's safest island." APIRAK HONGTHONG, police colonel and head of Phuket's immigration office, responding to Danish warnings of an attack on Thailand's popular getaway...
...discovery of yet another dream beach: lush palms, seafood fresh from the net, and miles of white sand, unblemished by footprints. Given the conflicting demands for laid-back escape and sumptuous lodging, nowhere has managed the mix better than Thailand. In the 1970s it was Pattaya. The 1980s: Phuket. Resorts by the score are already pining to supplant Ko Samui, favored destination of the '90s. Yet the victor may not be another idyllic Ko Samui wannabe, but a genuine blast from the past...
...have become attenuated, with left and right squashed together in a moderate, neoliberal middle. Western Europe in general has become "postpolitical." Rather than argue about politics, modern Europeans spend their time wondering who'll win the soccer Champions League and worrying whether to spend the long summer vacation in Phuket or Goa. Voter apathy is widespread; last year's British elections had the lowest turnout since 1918. In France the 72% turnout last week was the lowest since the modern constitution was adopted in 1958. It's often the more moderate voters who stay home, which means that candidates...