Police step up security at Lotus

PHUKET TOWN: The Phuket Town police have been called in to help step up security at the Tesco Lotus Supercenter, after bomb attacks on two Lotus stores in Bangkok on Monday and Wednesday killed one person and injured two others. Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, superintendent of the Phuket Town Police Station, told the Gazette that, shortly after the bombings, he met with management and security personnel at the Lotus Phuket branch to implement extra security measures in the store. Both plain-clothes and uniformed police have been posted in the store to monitor the aisles and car park, and security guards have been ordered to check customers’ bags as they enter the store. Pol Col Paween said, “There were already security measures in place here to protect people but we wanted to be prepared. “Anyone seeing anything unusual should tell a police officer or security guard immediately – don’t touch it or try to inspect it yourself,” Col Paween warned. It has been alleged that the Bangkok bombings were in retaliation for the sacking of security firm Royal Guard Group Holding, which had a contract to guard Lotus stores nationwide. Two ex-soldiers who worked for the firm, as well as one of its directors, have been arrested in connection with the attacks.