The government must take care to maintain a balance between keeping the public adequately informed in the face of clear and present danger and ensuring they are not engulfed in a state of panic.
The military regime's attempt to downplay public anxiety caused by social media postings of a copy of a letter from the Sathon District Office telling schools in the central business area to be aware of a possible car bomb threat is understandable.
The government definitely does not need public panic added to its list of things to deal with, which is already packed with duties.
There is currently the need to maintain security and public order around the Grand Palace and Sanam Luang where tens of thousands of people have been gathering each day to pay their respects to His Majesty King Bhumibol.
The Deep South was rocked by yet another series of attacks in Pattani, Songkhla and Narathiwat on Wednesday night in which three people were killed.
As rice farmers suffer a steep plunge in paddy prices, soldiers will be deployed to "seek cooperation" from millers around the country to buy grain at more reasonable rates and help boost the market rate.
Despite the various challenges, the regime has so far managed to keep the situation under control.
When it comes to the specific case of the car bomb threat right in the heart of the capital, however, the government may benefit by giving timely and realistic information to the public instead of what seems more like the blanket dismissal it has provided.
The warning letter, complete with information about the type and model of cars suspected of being prepared to be used in the explosions, is dated Oct 28.
The date in question corresponds to an earlier statement by deputy national police chief Pol Gen Srivara Ransibrahmanakul that says police received intelligence reports about possible attacks in three locations in Bangkok and nearby provinces between Oct 25 to 30.
It was somewhat comforting that Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, in charge of security affairs, assured the public on Wednesday that security officials continue to maintain stringent safety measures even though the threatened attack did not occur last week as suspected.
However, it is probably too soon for Gen Prawit to dismiss the threat as an "old security alert".
It is surely not yet time for the authorities to send a message that may be interpreted as an attempt to give the public a false sense of peace and calm.
A day after Gen Prawit told the public not to worry about the "old threat", the police, on the other hand, announced they had stepped up security measures in Bangkok.
Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) chief Thitirat Nongharnpitak even elaborated that the car bomb alert had nothing to do with foreign terrorist networks but was possibly connected to the country's internal conflicts in the southernmost provinces.
It is clear the security authorities need to be more coordinated in their communication with the public if they are to drive home to the people the message that they should stay alert to anything suspicious though refrain from being frightened.
In fact, in this age of advanced communications technology and connectedness, the authorities could make headway in their security operations by keeping the public engaged and crowd-source their input intelligently.
Training people and getting them involved so that they can club together as a community and be vigilant of anything suspicious or unusual will aid authorities by freeing them to get on with other pressing duties.
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