In Hua Hin, tourist Shane Brett told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. from his hotel room that there was panic after the first explosion there Thursday.
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In this December 31, 2015, photo, visitors walk on the beach in the resort town of Hua Hin, 240 kilometers (150 miles) south of Bangkok, Thailand.
Thai police have confirmed that two more bombs have gone off in another city, killing one person, in the latest in a string of blasts to hit the country, including two in the seaside resort town of Hua Hin that killed one and wounded almost 20 more people – half of them foreigners.
Investigators work at the scene of an explosion in the resort town of Hua Hin, 240 kilometers (150 miles) south of Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Aug. 12, 2016.
In this December 31, 2015, photo, a Buddhist monk walks at the beach in the resort town of Hua Hin, 240 kilometers (150 miles) south of Bangkok, Thailand.
In hardest-hit Hua Hin, a popular beach resort rocked by 4 bombs in 24 hours, locals braced for a blow to the town’s mainstay industry ahead of peak tourist season.
Then the bomb went off. “Which group? Go find out for me”, he said.
The first bomb exploded in the southern province of Trang – an area full of handsome beaches and tourist islands – killing one person and injuring six, according to police.
The two bombs on Friday morning that detonated at the clock tower were placed behind a large portrait of the king and queen. One person was killed and three were injured.
A local female street vendor was killed in the attack and scores of others injured, including several foreigners.
Four people were killed in the attacks, and 20 injured including three Germans, three Italians, an Austrian and three Dutch nationals.
Phuket, a top tourist destination, was also targeted in the attacks.
Thai police say there’s no evidence the attacks are related to global terrorism. “Right now, the authorities have provided security for all people as best as we can, and I would like the media not to spread fear”, Winthai said. Their nationalities were not immediately known.
“This tragic incident will serve as a constant reminder to the Thai people that there are some malicious people in our society and in Thailand, who have perpetrated these acts since before our referendum day and now on one of the most important days for our nation”, he added later in a televised address on Friday evening.
The UK Foreign Office asked its citizens to “exercise extreme caution, avoid public places and follow the advice of local authorities”.
“Normally, Hua Hin is a safe place and this is the first time for a bomb like this”. Streets were eerily quiet for the beginning of a three-day holiday. “I will not tell you in which province”, he said.
An August 2015 bombing at a Bangkok shrine killed 20 people – mostly tourists – and triggered a drop in visitors.
“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. “People were shocked, they couldn’t say anything”.
“We feel pretty safe”.
Thailand’s military seized power in a coup two years ago, enacting sweeping powers to control dissent.
Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political expert with Chulalongkorn University, called the attacks a “blatant challenge to the military regime”, which is run by ultra-royalist generals.
Prayuth’s speech was to mark the success of a referendum Sunday that approved his government’s proposed constitution that is supposed to lead to an election next year.
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Sirasit Teimtontanin, a manager at City Beach Resort in Hua Hin, said one of Friday’s explosions went off about 300 meters from the front door. More than 15 rooms had been canceled within hours.
