A series of bomb attacks in southern Thailand at the end of last week that killed four people and injured dozens was planned by a mastermind who gave orders, the police said on Sunday.
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On Thursday and early Friday, two series of blasts shook the Hua Hin resort in southern Thailand killing at least two people and injuring 28 others.
Analysts say suspicion would inevitably on fall on enemies of the ruling junta aggrieved by the referendum results, or insurgents from Muslim-majority provinces in the south of the mostly Buddhist country.
National police chief Chakthip Chaijinda said the bombings may have been carried out by opponents of a military-drafted constitution, which was approved in a referendum last week. The bombs were much smaller with fewer casualties, but the spread of the attacks clearly targeting popular tourist resorts will defer recovery possibly to the fourth quarter of this year.
Thai media reported that two more bombs suspected of being connected to the coordinated attacks last week were found in separate locations in Phuket and Hua Hin on Sunday afternoon.
Several new attacks took place Sunday and Monday in two of the deep south provinces where bombings and drive-by shootings have become nearly a daily occurrence over the past decade.
16 August 2016, 00:30Fears that tourism would be greatly affected in Hua Hin in the wake of recent explosions seem to have been allayed as the town remains busy with local and global tourists determined to enjoy the long weekend and celebrate the birthday of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit.
According to Pongsapat, the network behind the multiple bomb and arson attacks was believed to include 10-20 people and the incidents had no connection with unrest in the Deep South.
Thai police over the weekend found and defused five explosive devices that had failed to detonate.
The wave of attacks in places including the seaside town of Hua Hin and the island of Phuket, is the biggest challenge to an industry that has weathered more than a decade of instability and bounced back from violence over recent years. A decade ago, in 2006, the army had also toppled their leader, Thaksin Shinawatra, triggering a decade of sporadic upheaval.
Also on Sunday, Thai police said the attack had been orchestrated by a single person, without giving, however, any further details. Although the police and military have been hinting that the attacks were carried out by politically motivated people that were not happy with the outcome of a national referendum on August 7, they have been careful to avoid using the word “terrorism”, which could stir fears among foreign tourists, and have instead referred to the attacks as “local sabotage”.
Thailand police have recovered numerous unexploded bombs from the three top tourist destinations that were targeted by unknown assailants on 11-12 August.
Police said they were investigating all leads and had ruled out links to global militant groups.
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His sister Yingluck swept to power in an election in 2011, before being ousted in another coup led by Prayuth in 2014. This news story is related to Latest/142630-Thailand-detains-several-people-for-questioning-over-deadly-blasts/ – breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne.
