At least four people have been killed and dozens more injured in a series of co-ordinated attacks across tourist destinations in Thailand that saw bombs hidden in plant pots and flower beds detonated by mobile phones. Western tourists fled in terror as the first two blasts hit the seaside resort of Hua Hin overnight, killing one Thai woman and wounding 21 others.
At least one British national was reportedly among those injured in the twin bomb attack, which targeted a busy street filled with bars and restaurants. The town was also hit by small explosions on Friday morning.
Hours later two small bombs were detonated in the beach town Patong, Phuket, another area popular with foreign tourists. One man was said to have been ‘lightly wounded’ in the attack. His nationality is not yet known.
Thai police and media have also reported similar strikes in the southern regions of Surat Thani and Trang, which are used as stop-off points for many visitors travelling on to the country’s islands.
Thai officials have said they believe the attacks were carried out locally and are not terror related. There is some suggestion they were launched by the opponents of the ruling junta, which recently bolstered its military power.
And junta chief Prayat Chan-O-Cha branded the attacks as an ‘attempt to create chaos and confusion.’
Nine foreigners were among the 21 people injured in the Hua Hin blasts were foreign nationals, according to local officials. Dutch, Austrian, German and Italian nationals are believed to have been affected.
The British embassy in Thailand has updated travel advice urging tourists to exercise ‘extreme caution’ and avoid public places.
Australians have been warned to exercise a ‘heightened caution’ in the country and follow the advice of local authorities.
Tourist Shane Brett described the scenes of panic after the first devices were detonated in Hua Hin
Mr Brett said revellers fled to safety, adding there were ‘a good few people injured and the whole area just panicking … the whole area was just shut down with police cars, ambulances’.
The twin blasts Hua Hin took place 20 minutes apart and are believed to have been detonated using a mobile device, police said.
General Sithichai Srisopacharoenrath said both devices were hidden inside plants on a street filled with restaurants, bars and food sellers that is popular with tourists and residents.
He said a Samsung mobile phone had been recovered that they believed was used to detonate at least one the bombs. A female street food seller was killed in one of the blasts.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Army General Danai Kritmethavee said authorities believed the attacks were coordinated and that they are investigating ‘all possible leads’.
While national deputy police spokesman Piyapan Pingmuang told reporters: ‘This is not a terrorist attack. It is just local sabotage that is restricted to limited areas and provinces’.
Analysts said Muslim insurgent groups in the south could be behind the attack, but warned that coordinated bombings targeting tourists would mark an unprecedented escalation in a simmering conflict largely contained in the border region.
Some reports suggest that the timing of the strikes, which took place on the 84th birthday of Thailand’s Queen Sirikit, gives weight to the theory they were carried out by those opposed to the junta.
The junta has repeatedly said that defending the monarchy is a top priority and the army and its allies are keen to ensure a smooth succession for ailing King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 88.
Local media are reporting that the first blast took place about 8am local time, with the second coming about 30 minutes later.
In Surat Thani, provincial governor Wongsiri Promchana said the bomb, hidden in a flower bed, exploded in front of the marine police offices, killing a municipal worker and injuring another man.
‘I think it’s related to the blasts in Hua Hin,’ Wongsiri told AFP, referring to the overnight attack in the town that lies further north.
There were also reports of blasts or fires in Phang Nga and Krabie.
According to local media one person died in an attack on the Centre Point shopping mall in Trang while six more were injured.
The Federal Government has warned Australians to avoid affected areas and follow the instructions of local authorities.
The explosives, believed to have been placed in plant pots, went off in the Hua Hin resort earlier today.
Reports on social media have suggested two British people are hurt, among nine injured foreign tourists.
The second bomb exploded near a bar at about 10:20 p.m (1320 GMT), killing a Thai woman and injuring eight foreigners and one other Thai person, local deputy police chief Samer Yousamran said.
The injured are being treated at a local hospital, he said.
Writing on Twitter, charity founder Edwin Wiek said: ‘At #HuaHin hospital. Seems 5 foreigners injured, 2 British, 3 of unknown nationality.’
He later added: ‘Latest update: #Huahin #bomb total 23 injured, 1 dead. At least 9 foreigner under the injured.’
It is believed two of those injured are Dutch, while another is a German woman aged in her 20s.
The first bomb went off about twenty minutes earlier about 55 yards away from the second bomb, he said. Nobody was injured in the first explosion.
Police are investigating and as yet do not know the motive or the identity of the bombers, he said.
The timing suggested it might be an effort to embarrass the military government that took power two years ago.
Junta chief and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Wednesday night took credit for bringing stability back to Thailand after an extended period of unrest.
In a separate incident earlier on Thursday, a bomb exploded at a market in the southern Trang province in Thailand, injuring six people, police said.
Police believe that explosion was related to a local dispute.
Thais voted less than a week ago in a referendum to adopt a military-backed constitution, the first test of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha at the ballot box since he seized power in a coup in May 2014.
Thailand’s 88 year-old King Bhumibol Adulayadej, the world’s longest reigning monarch, and his wife Sirikit are in hospital in Bangkok but have resided in recent years in Hua Hin at the Klai Kangwon Palace royal palace, which translates as ‘Far from Worries Palace’.
King Bhumibol has received treatment for an infection over the past month in a Bangkok hospital, the Royal Household Bureau said on August 1.
It is thought more than 6,500 people, including Buddhist monks, teachers, troops and separatist insurgents have been killed since 2004 in the long-running conflict, although tourist destinations have rarely been affected.
The resort of Hua Hin is popular with both foreigners and locals, and hosts international jazz, car and kite festivals every year.
It is also famous for its fishing opportunities while its shallow and warm waters provide good conditions for kite boarding and surfing.
Small bombings are common in the kingdom during periods of heightened political tension but there have been few such incidents in the past year and it is rare for tourists to be targeted.
