Several foreign governments issued travel warnings for their citizens yesterday after the bombs in Bangkok on New Year's Eve, which killed three and injured 37.

Australia, Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and the United States all issued travel advisories to their citizens to stay at home and avoid moving about the city. They also warned that more attacks were possible in coming days.

New Zealand's foreign ministry issued a travel warning saying there was some risk to security and recommended tourists to exercise "a high degree of caution" in Bangkok following the bombings.

The ministry on its travel safety website advised New Zealanders in Bangkok to avoid unnecessary travel within the city and said terrorist attacks may also occur elsewhere in Thailand, including tourist areas.

Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade also issued a travel advisory on its website, saying: "There is a possibility of further attacks in coming days. Australians are urged to avoid unnecessary travel in Bangkok."

Earlier, the United Kingdom's Foreign Office warned British travellers not to travel around Bangkok "unless absolutely necessary".

Other countries also warned their nationals via CNN broadcasts to exercise extra caution when travelling in Thailand.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called a meeting yesterday to prepare an explanation to other countries about what happened.

They also distributed an English translation for embassies here of Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont's comments to the media, following his meeting at the Internal Security Operations Command headquarters on Sunday night.

Three Serbian, two British, and four Hungarian tourists were among the wounded.

Meanwhile, Tourism and Sports Minister Suvit Yodmani said he had instructed Tourism Authority of Thailand offices worldwide to explain the bombs and to formulate working plans to restore confidence in Thailand.

Suvit yesterday visited badly injured tourist Marina Kovassco, from Hungary, who is being treated at Bumrungrad Hospital.

Kovassco was recovering from surgery but did not have a leg amputated, as widely reported earlier. She was one of two foreigners still in hospital.

Agence France-Presse reported that, while some tourists admitted to being stunned by the bombings, others said they would not let them ruin their holidays.

Emi Supati, 37, from Singapore, in Bangkok to see in the New Year with his wife, said he was stunned when he heard about the Central World Plaza bomb. They had walked by the site of the blast half an hour before it happened, he said.

"We wanted to enjoy the party, but it hasn't happened that way."

Karmen Skender, a tourist from Slovenia, backed the government's decision to cancel the New Year party.

"For those who were victims and their families, they will definitely think it's appropriate," she said.

As residents of the City of Angels pick up the pieces after the string of deadly bombings that killed three and injured nearly 40, casting a grim shadow over New Year festivities, speculation has been rife at to who the perpetrators were.

Whoever was behind it has succeeded in sending a brutal shock wave throughout the country that has been enduring not only the daily insurgent killings in the deep South, but also the post-coup political turbulence, commonly referred to as the "undercurrent".

The first series of six near-simultaneous blasts struck at random locations across Bangkok at around 6pm. The last two came at around midnight. At least nine foreign visitors were injured in the last two explosions. Casualties as of last night were three dead and 43 injured.

While Muslim militants in the predominantly Malay-speaking South were not entirely free from suspicion, most of the fingers pointed to the September 19 coup as the likely catalyst for the deadly bombings.

The same forces have also been suspected of torching some 30 public schools in the North and the Northeast. Authorities believe the arson attacks were part of the "undercurrent".

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said yesterday domestic politics rather than the Muslim insurgency was behind the bombings.

"From the evidence we have gathered, there is only a slim chance it is related to the southern insurgency. It is likely related to people who lost their political benefits," Surayud told a press conference, alluding to the ousted regime of Thaksin Shinawatra.

He described the attackers as "ill-intentioned people" looking to inflict "political damage" on the country.

"The kind of bombs used, the places they picked, and the timing show their intention was to cause panic and fear," Surayud said.

On top of the list of those who lost out from the coup were obviously Thaksin and his Thai Rak Thai Party members, including former premier Chavalit Yongchaiyudh.

In keeping with his reputation of jumping ship when things get too hot, Chavalit had first supported the September 19 coup but quickly became a turncoat when none of his associates got any positions in the new government or state enterprises. Most of the portfolios were given to supporters of Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda, and of premier Surayud.

International terrorism is low on the list of suspicions. Global terrorist attacks in recent years have tended to cause great physical damage and the targets are usually high-profile places. The warning by way of the first of the six blasts, not to mention its small size, essentially rule out this possibility.

Separatism and insurgency in the South also did not figure highly in the deliberations of the security community as officials pointed to the nature of the militants' tactics in the restive region. While explosive ingredients for the bombs are more or less the same, as they can be purchased in just about any hardware store, militants in the deep South tend to carry out their bombings on the roadside, followed by a brief gunfight.

Bombs in the South have often been placed in public places, normally targeting restaurants and eateries frequented by security personnel and officials. The attack in downtown Pattani last May that ripped through a teashop frequented by police officers and the Unimog military transport vehicle in front of it was a case in point.

Though the bombs in Bangkok were quite small in size and weight, one cannot deny the symbolism and timing of the acts - the last hours of the last day of the year when tens of thousands of revellers were getting ready to party the night away.

The psychological cost was tremendous and the political cost could be just as brutal. If the police fail to close this case in a timely manner, the Council for National Security (CNS) will undoubtedly bear the brunt of the blame.

It's an open secret that there is some opposition to the plans of the CNS to carry out a structural reform of the police force. Any reform would take away a lot of the powers of the police.

Police General Ajiravid Subarnbhesaj said all eight bombs were placed in 3x5-inch boxes and detonated by digital alarm clock. The most interesting part was that traces of M4 high explosive booster were found in all of the bombs.

The fact that M4, officially a controlled item, was found to have been used lent weight to the theory that the bomb attacks may have been an inside job - either rogue military or a police clique looking to discredit the junta and the current administration.

For the time being, nothing has been totally ruled out. The "undercurrent" theory is quickly gaining momentum. And if this turns out to be the case, Bangkok could become a battle ground for power.

Revellers will have to keep their fingers crossed and hope next New Year's Eve will turn out differently.

Sunday's bombings made it painfully clear that guarding against terrorism must top the government's agenda

The coordinated terrorist attacks in Bangkok on New Year's Eve, which killed three people and injured 43, served as a rude awakening for Thais in general and Bangkok people, in particular, who had until now considered themselves invulnerable to terrorist attacks, despite the fact that Thailand is fighting a raging war with Islamic militants/Malay separatists in the deep South. The string of bombings has effectively shattered every last shred of that entrenched self-delusion and fatalistic complacency. Conventional wisdom had it that Thailand was never a major target for terrorists. Or, even if it were, insurgents would never consider striking outside of the Muslim-majority provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, which have been turned into a war zone with more than 1800 people killed there over the past three years.

It is premature to jump to any conclusions as to the identity of the perpetrators of this heinous crime against innocent civilians, including foreign tourists. However, it is safe to assume that these terrorists, who had no qualms with killing and maiming men, women and children in cold blood, wanted not only to destabilise the political scene, wreak havoc on the economy and damage social harmony. They also wanted to strike fear in the hearts of common citizens in order to disrupt their normal lives and wear down their will to oppose their devious designs.

It is stupid and irresponsible for anyone to put forward wild speculation as to who was responsible for such dastardly acts until the authorities have concluded their investigation. Members of the public who have any useful information that could lead to the arrest of these evildoers are encouraged to come forward with any assistance they can provide. But make no mistake that the Surayud government, along with the Council for National Security and the country's security apparatus, must do their utmost to bring these terrorists to justice - or risk completely losing their credibility, and even legitimacy to rule.

This newspaper ("The Nation") has always been an advocate of strong actions against terrorism in all of its ugly form, regardless of its justifications. We have repeatedly urged governments to err on the side of being too cautious in anti-terror operations - but it's often been a plea that has fallen on deaf ears. It gives us no pleasure to report that the changeover from the Thaksin regime to the interim government of General Surayud Chulanont did not alter the old mindset. It appears that nothing could ever convince the government to put up even the most rudimentary defence against possible terrorist attacks, such as putting armed security personnel on foot patrols in public places or setting up surveillance cameras in Bangkok and other major cities.

Granted that even with the most prominent security measures in place, not all attacks are preventable. Nonetheless, such visible signs of preparedness would make it that much more difficult for terrorists to mount their attacks and would also serve as a constant reminder to the public of the clear and present danger.

We now know that Bangkok is not an exception, that there are no rules when it comes to the workings of terrorists' twisted minds and their vicious modes of operation. Second-guessing their intentions and thwarting their imminent strikes could prove incredibly difficult, however government officials must do their best in terms of intelligence gathering. Sadly, our security services failed in this regard and continue to do so today. They failed because they became engaged in mindless turf wars instead of working together for the sake of the nation.

Nevertheless, there can be no let-up in the war against terrorism. The terrorists have shown that they have the ability to strike where it hurts most. From here on, the threat of terrorism will be included in any calculation of the cost of transacting business on this side of the world, both in Thailand and throughout Southeast Asia.

It must be made clear that there is no substitute for decisive action backed by good intelligence to weed out known terrorists. The aim should be to pre-empt any campaigns of terror if possible. In order to avoid a panic, the public must be educated about the dangers of terrorism and how individuals can contribute to public safety and we, as a society, must remain vigilant in the sustained struggle until terrorists are utterly defeated. The government must realise that combating terrorism is neither easy nor simple, but failure to mount an effective defence against it right now - which the country so desperately needs to do - is no less than criminal neglect.