Andrea Tazzioli, 51, from Italy, poses for a photograph in San Paulo Hospital in the tourist city of Hua Hin, Thailand on Friday, Aug. 12, 2016.
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“I saw that on two different sides, about 100 meters away from each other … where tourists are going to have drinks and walk around, two bombs went off that were planted in pot plants”, he told the ABC.
Worst-hit was the upscale beach town of Hua Hin, which was rocked by two sets of twin bombs in 24 hours – one pair on Thursday night and the second on Friday morning.
The popular tourist location of Phuket in the country’s south was also hit with explosions, while 2 more bombs were reported to have detonated in the provinces of Trang and Surat Thani, killing 2 people.
Thais voted in a referendum on August 7 on a new constitution that gave supremacy to Thailand’s military that seized power in a 2014 coup, as well as the country’s traditional elite in Bangkok. According to the AP, the number of visitors rose in 2015 to 30 million, and has remained steady in 2016 with more than 14 million visiting from the beginning of the year until May, government figures say.
The United States, Britain, Australia and several other countries issued travel warnings to their nationals.
National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) spokesman Colonel Winthai Suvaree said NCPO leader and Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha expressed his condolences toward all the victims of the attacks and promised that the government will take care of everyone affected by the blasts. Police said earlier that they were investigating all leads, but had ruled out links to worldwide militant groups.
The violence occurred just ahead of the first anniversary of the August 17 bombing of Bangkok’s popular Erawan Shrine, which left 20 dead and injured more than 120 others.
At least 11 people – mostly foreign visitors – were injured and a woman who had a food vending cart in front of a bar was killed, according to Yoosumran. The Netherlands said four of its citizens were also wounded.
“My assessment is that this whole operation was targeted on one thing: Thailand’s tourist economy”, said Anthony Davis, a security analyst at IHS Jane’s. Improvised explosive devices and fire bombs were used, police said.
Many shops in the city center closed afterward and normally bustling streets were empty.
Various Islamic militant groups have carried out many attacks in other parts of Southeast Asia over the years, including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people, mainly foreign tourists.
Claims of responsibility have been scant throughout Thailand’s long history of political violence, including the troubles in the south and mysterious grenade blasts during tussles between rival political camps. Hua Hin district was then struck again with two more bombs, killing one person and wounding three.
At approximately the same time, in Phang Nga, two bombs went off at the Bang Niang Market at about 9.20am but without causing any casualty.
The most devastating explosions occurred in Hua Hin, on a busy street filled with bars and restaurants.
He looked outside the bar and said saw people running.
Information for this article was contributed by Jerry Harmer, Tassanee Vejpongsa, Grant Peck, Natnicha Chuwiruch, Vicky Ge Huang and Alina Hartounian of The Associated Press. “Which group? Go find out for me”, he said. The ruling junta has declared that defending the monarchy is its priority, especially as there is concern about the process to succeed the ailing 88-year-old king, who is the world’s longest reigning monarch. His sister Yingluck Shinawatra, who became prime minister in 2011, was ousted in the 2014 army takeover.
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Wendy Herbert, an Australian expatriate who lives in Hua Hin, told the BBC the place was deserted on Friday, adding: “I think it’s unfortunate because it’s Mother’s Day and the Queen’s birthday in Thailand, so it’s a big kind of event day, where everybody would be out and doing things”.
