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Thailand No. 9 in terror risk

Thailand is the world's ninth most-prone country to terrorist attacks, according to a ranking devised by a British-based firm specialising in risk management and terrorism insurance.

Aon Plc said its latest rankings of all the world's countries left Thailand with a rating of four out of five on the company's terrorism risk map.

It cited "(n)ear daily attacks by separatist militants" in the deep South.

According to Aon, the top-10 countries at risk from terrorism are, in order, Afghanistan, India, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Somalia, Syria, Thailand and Yemen.

The company's 2013 Terrorism and Political Violence Map released on Wednesday (Thailand time) noted that the "sporadic" street demonstrations have not returned to Bangkok, and that "no substantial border clashes have occurred" with Cambodia. But its report on the country said there was still a threat of both, as well as the possibility of a coup d'etat.

"Terrorist attacks are now regarded as a foreseeable risk," said a press release issued with the map and summary. But it made no mention of terrorism in Thailand apart from the violence in the deep South.

bangkokpost.com/b...error-risk



Woman warns of foreigner sex con

A Chiang Mai woman who claims she was lured into having sex with an American man under the pretence he would marry her has warned other Thai women to be cautious in relationships with foreigners.

Thidarat Chaisiri, 38, on Tuesday lodged a complaint with Chiang Mai Araya Group chairman Nathee Teerarojanapong, claiming that the United States national had lured her into having sex with him via a newspaper advertisement.

The woman claimed she saw the advertisement in a local newspaper in September last year, saying a 49-year-old foreign businessman living in Chiang Mai was looking for a "beautiful and well-educated woman" to marry.

Ms Thidarat said she responded to the advertisement and later met the man, who called himself James. She had sex with him several times, but the man recently ended the relationship.

Mr Nathee said the incident had tarnished the dignity of Thai women. He would seek justice for the victim from the US embassy and ask police to take action against "James", he added.

bangkokpost.com/n...x-with-him



Abbot collars cat-killer dog

The abbot of a popular temple in Mukdahan province penalised a dog that killed a kitten by hanging the dead cat around its neck, reports said on Monday
The unusal punishment imposed by the abbot of Wat Sri Boon Ruang has drawn astonishment and negative comment from people visiting the temple and netizens.

A monk at the temple told reporters that the dog was raised in the area. It had bitten and killed one of the kittens when the monks were collecting alms one morning.

He said the abbot, Phra Thong, decided to hang the dead kitten around the dog's neck, using a piece of the monk's robe. Phra Thong believed that this punishment would stop the dog from attacking other cats again.

Phra Thong said he had punished other dogs in a similar fashion and it had worked before.

Most comments by netizens on social media sites criticised the abbot for punishing the dog in this manner. Here are some of the comments:

"This is crazy."

"Other dogs in the area are avoiding the dog with the dead cat. I feel bad for the dog."

"They're just animals. Please don't be cruel and act like animals."

"Great job, monk!"

bangkokpost.com/b...mple-abbot