Latest Thai bombings not linked to prior attacks: govt

Thailand’s military government said on Wednesday there was no connection between two bombings overnight that killed one person in the southern town of Pattani and a wave of deadly attacks on tourist spots this month.

One Thai person was killed and 30 wounded when two bombs exploded late on Tuesday at a hotel in the deep- south town of Pattani, less than two weeks after a wave of bombings hit towns in seven provinces in the central south.

No group has claimed responsibility for the tourist- town bombings, which killed four and wounded dozens, including foreigners, but suspicion has centerd on Muslim separatists based in the deep south of the predominantly Buddhist country. Security experts say the ethnic Malay, Muslim insurgents have a record of coordinated bomb attacks, which they usually do not claim.

Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, however, ruled out any link between the earlier attacks and the twin bombs in Pattani, which is near the Malaysian border and has for years been plagued by separatist violence, particularly since an intensification of the decades- old insurgency from 2004.

“I am sure that the incident in Pattani last night has nothing to do with the seven provinces attacks,” Prawit told reporters without elaborating.

Tourist towns in the central south have for years been spared any spillover of violence from the deep south and analysts say the government is loath to blame the coordinated bombings this month on southern insurgents because of fear of damaging the tourist industry.