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Multiple Bomb Blasts Target Thailand Tourist Spots

At least eight more bombings took place on Friday morning.

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Two men have been reportedly been detained in connection with the blasts.

Four people have died and many have been injured after a series of co-ordinated bomb blasts in Thailand tourist hotspots.

But the choice of Hua Hin as a major target is also symbolic, our correspondent says, being known as a royal city and the king’s favoured residence outside Bangkok.

The blasts came as the country celebrated the birthday of Queen Sirikit, a holiday. The second went off 300 metres away, he added.

“I saw light, white light, big explosion and immediately it hurts here in my shoulder, like big fire”. And I go down on the floor in blood.

Hua Hin, Phuket and Phang Nga are far from the usual conflict zone, where attacks are typically aimed at the security forces and government representatives, not tourists.

Tourist Shane Brett told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. from his hotel room in Hua Hin that there was panic after the first explosion, which police said killed one Thai woman and wounded about 20 others, half of them foreigners.

Those killed were all Thai nationals but the injured included many foreigners.

They include citizens from Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Austria, according to Thomas Mohr with the San Paulo Hospital in Hua Hin.

Other blasts hit the island of Phuket, a resort town in Phang Nga province, and Surat Thani, the jumping off point for travelers heading to the white sandy beaches of Gulf of Thailand islands such as Koh Samui. One person was killed in the Trang blast, which occurred Thursday, and another was killed in the Surat Thani attack on Friday morning.

No group has said it carried out the attacks, but suspicion is likely to fall on separatist insurgents. All are located south of Bangkok and are popular with Thai and foreign tourists.

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At least two people are confirmed dead and at least 15 others are injured, authorities said. Streets were eerily quiet for the beginning of a three-day holiday.

“No, no, no, no. We have also sent our undercover (officers) into different neighbourhoods to gather intelligence” said Surechet. “We have to ask why and who did it”, he told reporters.

Friday’s attacks were a new blow.

Natsupa raced Friday from hotel to hotel, visiting clients and warning them not to go outside, especially where people gather. A bomb also exploded near the governor’s residence in Muang district. “From what I can see, I think I can trust the Thai police to keep tourists safe”.

Tourism accounts for about 10 percent of gross domestic product and Thailand is expecting a record 32 million visitors this year. The timing and scope suggested the bombs were set off by opponents of the Southeast Asian nation’s ruling junta, which last weekend organized a successful referendum on a constitution that critics say will bolster the military’s power for years to come.

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Although many businesses would have been closed for the national holiday celebrating the Queen’s birthday, numerous tourist shops and food outlets would normally have been open – and yet only a mere handful were.

11 Coordinated Blasts Leave 4 Dead 34 Injured In Southern Thailand