More Than 9 Bomb Blasts Rock Popular Thai Tourist Places In Less Than 24 Hours
At least four people died and 19 were left injured.
By Sadho Ram — 12 Aug 2016, 02:20 PM
Tourism hotspots of Hua Hin and Phuket have been hit by what appears to be a series of co-ordinated bomb blasts across Thailand, killing at least four people and leaving 19 people injured. Following which, Thai police were put on alert for further explosive devices.
According to the New York Times, two bombs went off at the Hua Hin resort in Thailand late Thursday evening. Following which, more explosions struck in Hua Hin, as well as at the Patong beach at a popular resort island, Phuket, on Friday morning.
At roughly the same time as the Phuket explosions, two more explosions were reported near a police station in the province of Surat Thani, the NYT reported.
Four blasts over 24 hours in Hua Hin where two people have died. Two blasts in Surat Thani where one person has died.
Two blasts in the tourist beach town of Patong on Phuket island. One blast in Trang where one person has died. Blasts in the beach province of Phang Nga.
The two blasts on Thursday night in Hua Hin were in an area of bars and nightclubs popular with foreign tourists. Hidden in pot plants, they were allegedly detonated by mobile phones, reported AFP.
“The type of bomb is still under investigation,” Hua Hin’s police chief, Sitthichai Srisopacharoenrat, told AFP after the twin blasts.
Photos showed emergency workers evacuating victims from the area on stretchers and foreign tourists with minor cuts and injuries gathered at a local hospital.
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The timing of the bomb blasts is said to be sensitive as Thais mark a long weekend for the queen's birthday, reported the BBC
"The bombs are an attempt to create chaos and confusion," PM Prayuth Chan-ocha said to reporters. "We should not make people panic more."
bbc.comWhile Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan, a Deputy PM in Thailand's military-run government, said that it's unclear on who actually did it and what were their motives, terrorism have been ruled out
Police believe the series of blasts were acts of local sabotage and not linked to any international militant group, deputy police spokesman Police Colonel Krisana Pattanacharoen told reporters on Friday.
"It's too soon to jump to any conclusion," he said "But what we know for sure is that the incidents are not linked directly to any kinds of terrorism, in fact it's local sabotage and we are trying to identify those responsible behind the scenes.
"There are no conflicts in the country that may lead to terrorists being in the country. That's why we can say that these incidents are not terrorist attacks," he said.
reuters.com
A Thai police officer guards the site in Hua Hin where a small bomb exploded.
Image via Munir Uz Zaman/AFP/Getty Images via The GuardianA threat to Thailand's reputation as a holiday-maker's paradise
Small blasts are common in Thailand during times of heightened political tension. However, there have been few such incidents in the past year and it is rare for tourists — a key source of income for the kingdom — to be targeted, reported AFP.
The latest incident only contributes to Thailand's dwindling reputation as the "Land of Smiles", where crimes against foreigners have been on the rise in recent times, despite which, though, tourists continue to flock to its sandy beaches and famed temples.
The latest blasts come several days before the one-year anniversary of the last major attack on tourists in Thailand when a bomb in the capital killed 22 people on 17 August.