May 3, 2005
In Thailand, on the trail of cellphone terrorists
From May 10, the government wants Thailand's four mobile phone operators to start registering the identity of people buying prepaid SIM cards, the so-called subscriber identity module that identifies a phone to its network. That means collecting data on close to one million people a month, reports the IHT.
"The impetus for this initiative apparently came from a series of bomb blasts in Thailand's mainly Muslim southern provinces, where security forces face an insurgency. The bombs were mostly detonated by cellphones, Thai authorities say.
Every time a bomb goes off, the government closes down local cellular networks in case the bombers have planted a second device designed to hit security forces or rescue services rushing to the scene of the first.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, says he is confident that registering SIM card holders will solve the problem of bombers using mobile phones".
Related articles:
-- Thailand to register all prepaid mobile phone cards to prevent bombings
-- Links to articles on cell phones used by terrorists
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