Four people were killed and dozens wounded, police said.
Advertisement
On behalf of the worldwide tourism community, the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) joined Secretary-General Ban in conveying heartfelt condolences and sympathy to the families and friends of the victims and to the Thai people.
“I believe so”, he continued.
Although two arrests were made in that case, a confusing investigation shook faith in the competence of the police and raised doubts about who were the true culprits.
Hua Hin was hit by another two bombs in quick succession on Friday morning near a clock tower, killing one person and wounding four more.
The violence began on Thursday afternoon when a bomb exploded in the province of Trang, killing one person and injuring six, according to police.
In what seems to be a coordinated attack targeting popular holiday spots, multiple explosions have gone off in Hua Hin, Surat Thani, Patong on Phuket island, Trang and Phang Nga.
One region that voted down the constitution was the “deep south” – the three southern border provinces home to a long-running Muslim insurgency against the majority-Buddhist state.
An August 2015 bombing at a Bangkok shrine killed 20 people – mostly tourists – and triggered a drop in visitors.
“There have been no arrests yet”, deputy national police spokesman Piyapan Pingmuang told Agence France-Presse (AFP) Saturday morning, adding that police have yet to identify any suspects or a motive. “At first we had a lot of mixed feelings, because we didn’t know the area well enough”, said Lexus Chlorad, 21, from NY, after arriving in Hua Hin on Friday afternoon. “This is local sabotage”.
The same officer, however, has said that the way the bombs were assembled was very different from the method used by southern insurgents. They said earlier this year they were looking for another 15 suspects in that case.
Thailand’s military government will undoubtedly probe its primary political rivals, namely the opposition Pheu Thai party it ousted in a 2014 coup and their “Red Shirt” supporters in the north and northeast.
The bombings came less than a week after the military regime’s draft of a new charter was approved in a referendum.
“The restrictions on campaigning ahead of the referendum must convince some that only extralegal means can be effective”, Abuza said.
“I think the Thai people are more scared than tourists”.
The incident took place on the eve of the birthday of Queen Sirikit in a town where she and King Bhumibol Adulyadej maintain a summer palace.
Hua Hin, an easy weekend getaway for residents of Bangkok, was returning to normal on Saturday – though most businesses in the vicinity of the Thursday night explosions remained closed, a Reuters witness said.
On August 10, local security authorities discovered two homemade bombs following a public tip-off in Paradise and China Town Markets in Phuket and managed to diffuse them.
The pensioner, who did not want to give his full name, said: “The bombs went off not far from were I live”.
He said it was unclear who carried them out and that the government would do its best to investigate.
Then on Thursday night, attackers in Hua Hin hid bombs on a busy street filled with bars and restaurants, planting them inside two potted plants and were detonated by remote control about half an hour apart.
China, the single biggest source of tourists to Thailand with almost eight million visitors in 2015, told citizens to avoid crowded areas and pay close attention to security developments.
Suthipong said that Germans, Swiss, and Italians were among the wounded and that the woman who died was a Thai street vendor whose cart was near one of the explosions.
Advertisement
Officials believe two types of explosives were used in the attack: fire bombs and improvised explosive devices.
