Edwin Wiek, who has lived in Thailand for nearly 30 years, said one bomb was near the London Bar, not far from the Hua Hin Beach.
Advertisement
Hua Hin, an upmarket coastal resort on the Gulf of Thailand, is popular with foreign and Thai visitors. No one has claimed responsibility for the blasts and it is not clear if they are connected.
He noted that at the moment it is too early to draw conclusions on who could be behind the attacks, calling on the citizens to alert police on anything they deem suspicious.
Thailand’s economy has sagged since the military seized power in a 2014 coup, but tourism has remained one of the few bright spots, with more than 14 million people visiting in 2016 so far – up from 12.5 million the year before. “There was a loud noise and police were running everywhere, it was awful”, said Michael Edwards, an Australian tourist staying in a guest house close to where the second bomb detonated.
Arkansas State University says three students are missing in a cave near Cushman.
A series of blasts hit three of the most popular tourist resorts in southern Thailand on Thursday and Friday, killing two people and injuring dozens, just days after the country voted to accept a military-backed constitution in a referendum. Expat Edwin Wiek, who was in Hua Hin during the blasts, found pieces of a destroyed phone near the bomb site.
But BBC correspondent Jonathan Head in Bangkok said suspicion would probably fall on separatist insurgents, who have been waging an armed campaign against the Thai military in the country’s three southernmost provinces. The city is home to a swath of beachfront resorts as well as a royal palace.
About 200 kilometers north in the Phang Nga province, local media has also reported explosions at a market in Takua Pa.
– HUA HIN, 9 a.m.: Two bombs in plant pots under the Hua Hin clock tower detonate within minutes of each other.
A woman’s shoe lay on the ground amid debris near a damaged street food stall at the scene on Friday, a witness said. No Indian has been reported injured in Hua Hin.
The bombings come a week after a referendum put forward by the military junta was approved, paving the way for a new constitution and elections next year.
In a speech Wednesday night, junta chief and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha took credit for bringing stability back to Thailand after an extended period of unrest.
Two Uighur men from western China have been accused of the attack and are due to go on trial later this month.
A string of explosions rocked southern provinces as the nation celebrated Her Majesty the Queen’s birthday today (Aug 12).
Advertisement
King Bhumibol and his wife Sirikit are both in hospital in Bangkok and have not resided recently at their palace in Hua Hin.
