Thai police have confirmed the bombing and arson attacks in southern provinces on Thursday and Friday were “clearly connected”.
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Junta chief-cum prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said Friday that the people behind the bombings meant to create “chaos and confusion” because “the situation and the economy were being stabilized” after the “successful August 7 constitution, however other junta leaders have been more reserved about linking the violence to the political opposition”.
“The Tourism Authority of Thailand would like to reassure global travellers that Thailand remains a welcoming and secure destination and was visited safely by almost 30 million people previous year”, the TAT said in a statement.
A wave of coordinated explosions rattled multiple cities across southern Thailand, killing at least four people and wounding dozens more, police said Friday.
While on Saturday, two more devices were found in another popular tourist destination, Phang Nga.
Thai police have come under fire in the past over investigations into high profile cases, including the brutal murders of two British backpackers on a tourist island in 2014.
“These acts were undertaken by a group in many areas simultaneously, following orders from one individual”, Pongsapat Pongcharoen, a deputy national police chief, told reporters on Sunday, without elaborating.
Regarding several small bombs set off in Hua Hin, Pongsapat said authorities had offered a Bt200,000 (US$5,753) reward to anyone who provides tips for police, as the suspects are believed to be still in the country.
Thai officials say they don’t believe global Islamic militant groups are responsible, calling the bombings “local acts of sabotage”. More than 30 people were wounded, including European tourists.
Thaksin Shinawatra and his sister Yingluck were both elected prime minister – in 2001 and 2011, respectively.
Italian tourist Andrea Tazzioli, 51, who was injured during the bomb attack in Salakam road, smiles for a photograph on his bed at Sanpaulo hospital.
Prior to the vote, Thailand’s major political parties had criticized the draft constitution, saying it would constrict democracy, including one provision calling for an appointed Senate with seats reserved for military commanders.
A spokeswoman for the Centara Grand Beach Resort Villas, who did not wish to give her name, said the resort had tightened security, amid a climate of unease along the southern tourist provinces.
Investigators work at the scene of an explosion in the resort town of Hua Hin, 240 kilometers (150 miles) south of Bangkok.
Thailand’s military government has used sweeping powers to stifle dissent and freedom of speech since it seized power in May 2014 but deep divisions remain in Thai society after a decade of political upheaval.
The attacks came just days after a national referendum on August 7 approved a military-backed constitution.
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The southern conflict zone – the only Muslim-majority area in Buddhist Thailand – sees regular bombings and shootings, but the violence seldom leaks outside the three provinces bordering Malaysia.
