Wave of blasts
Police say blasts in at least five areas of the country are ‘local sabotage’, rule out international terrorism
Bombs, one after another, explode in at least five areas of Thailand, including popular beach cities, killing at least four people and wounding dozens more.
Tourists huddled in their hotel rooms and ducked inside buildings after bombs exploded one after another in at least five areas of Thailand, including popular beach cities, killing at least four people and wounding dozens more.
“The security in the bar told me to get back into the bar and they just rolled down the shutters and made sure everyone was at the back of the bar and after about ... a 10 minute or so wait, there was a second bang,’’ tourist Shane Brett said in Hua Hin on Friday, the morning after the Thursday night blasts.
The devastating explosions occurred overnight in Hua Hin on a busy street filled with bars and restaurants. One Thai woman was killed and about 20 people were wounded, half of them foreigners.
Separate blasts were reported elsewhere in the south. One exploded on Phuket city’s popular Patong beach, injuring one person. Two more detonated in front of two police stations half an hour apart in Surat Thani, killing one. And two bombs exploded outside a market in Phang Na, damaging two vehicles but causing no casualties.
Earlier Thursday, another bomb blew up in the southern province of Trang — full of beautiful beaches and tourist islands — killing one person and injuring six, according to police and Thai press reports.
Thai police said on Friday the bombings were acts of local sabotage and not “terrorist” in nature. “This is not a terrorist attack. It is just local sabotage that is restricted to limited areas and provinces,” national police deputy spokesman Piyapan Pingmuang said.
Travel warnings
Phuket in particular is frequented by millions of European, Chinese and Thai tourists each year who come to swim in the warm, azure sea, party at the open air nightclubs and explore tropical rain forests.
Even as police searched for suspects and fears of more bombs continued, locals said the explosions will be a blow to tourism. Governments including the United States, Germany, Australia and Britain advised their citizens traveling in Thailand to take precautions.
Tourism suffered a temporary hit after a bomb blast ripped through a Bangkok shrine nearly a year ago, killing 20 people, mostly visitors from other Asian countries.
“This ruins business. Hotels, restaurants, tours, we were already suffering, but this, it’s going to ruin our lives,” said Hua Hin Adventure Tours guide Natsupa Dechapanya.
Natsupa raced on Thursday from hotel to hotel visiting clients and warning them not to go outside. She was also fielding cancellation calls, although she was staying away from her office, opposite a clock tower where Friday’s bombs went off.
“I’m scared, it’s bad,” she said. “This is the first time this has happened in Hua Hin. We think of this as a safe town, but now everyone is fearful. We feel like we’re not safe.”
She said because the explosions happened hours apart, many — including herself — are worried about whether the attacks are over. And she said without any arrests, tension on city streets is palpable. “Usually this is a friendly town, but today no one wants to look up. People don’t want to look each other in the eyes,” she said.
Earlier attacks have been tied to political turmoil. Friday was a national holiday marking the Queen’s birthday, also Mother’s Day. They came less than a week after voters approved a new Constitution.
We think of this (Hua Hin) as a safe town, but now everyone is fearful. We feel like we’re not safe.” Natsupa Dechapanya, guide