A string of co-ordinated bomb blasts within hours rocked Thailand’s famous tourist towns, including Phuket, killing four people and injuring 34 others, days after the country voted to accept a military-backed Constitution.
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“The bombs are an attempt to create chaos and confusion”, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said.
Police are also investigating a spate of fires in several southern provinces that took place in the same period as the bombings.
On Friday morning, two more bombs exploded in Hua Hin, killing one person and wounding four, according to police.
(AP Photo/Jerry Harmer). 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.
Back in Hua Hin at 9:05 a.m, another two bombs went off near a clock tower, a city landmark, according to Yoosumran.
(AP Photo/Penny Yi Wang). Tazzioli was fetching his own birthday cake, when he was injured in a bomb blast overnight.
Thai police have blamed local sabotage for the series of bomb and arson attacks in five southern provinces over 24 hours ago which left four people dead and 35 others, including 10 foreign tourists, injured.
Thai police are reportedly not linking the attacks to worldwide terrorism.
No one has claimed responsibility for the blasts – and it’s not clear if they’re connected.
Pongsapat Pongcharoen, a deputy national police chief, told reporters on Saturday that no arrests had been made, but DNA samples collected at the blast sites would be compared with DNA samples stored in databases in the southern Muslim provinces.
TUI, which has about 2,000 customers in Thailand at present, said it would help any who wished to leave early.
However, they appeared to be aimed at damaging the tourism industry, which provides vital income for the government.
The bombs, majority detonated in twin blasts, struck key tourism hubs during a long weekend, including the seaside resort town of Hua Hin and the island of Phuket.
“Upholding due process and the fair trial rights of those responsible will be key not only to delivering justice for the victims, but also to demonstrating Thailand’s commitment to the rule of law in the face of heinous crimes”, Adams said.
At least four people have been killed and about 34 injured.
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. Two more detonated in front of two police stations half an hour apart in Surat Thani, killing one and wounding three. Police said they found evidence at his home and in electronic devices they had confiscated from him that he was involved in an active political movement against the government.
Foreign governments, including the United States, issued warnings Friday urging travelers to use caution and avoid affected areas.
“I think the Thai people are more scared than tourists”.
The series of explosions started Thursday night in the resort of Hua Hin.
Authorities have also been quick to downplay possible links to a simmering Islamic insurgency in Thailand’s southern border region.
Home-made bombs have previously been used by attackers in Thailand at times of political unrest, but since the military took power in a coup in May 2014 such attacks have been extremely rare.
“We stayed away from most public places today”, she said “Frankly, if the bombings continue then we might as well jump on a plane and go somewhere else”.
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A bombing spree targeting Thailand’s tourist hotspots, in the latest setback for a nation that has endured a decade of turmoil, has sent authorities scrambling to identify a motive and find the perpetrators. “But the investigation is unclear on who actually did it, what are the reasons behind it”.
