Friday, 12 August 2016

Thailand tourism: Arrests made over bomb attacks in Hua Hin resort

Rescuers and medical officers push an injured person on a gurney at the site of a bomb blast in Hua Hin, south of Bangkok, Thailand,
An injured person is rushed away from a bomb blast site in Hua Hin
Police in the Thai resort of Hua Hin have arrested two men after bomb attacks there and across the country left four people dead.

No further details were given of the detentions in the town, where two people were killed in explosions over the space of 24 hours. Phuket, a top tourist destination, was also targeted in the attacks.
A Thai policeman helps an injured victim following a bomb attack in Hua Hin, Thailand, 12 August 2016.
Security was tightened around Hua Hin and at airports in southern Thailand
No group has said it carried out the attacks but suspicion is likely to fall on Islamist separatists. The timing is sensitive, as Friday is a holiday marking the queen's birthday.

At least 10 foreigners were wounded in the attacks: three Germans, three Italians, an Austrian and three Dutch nationals.

The attackers focused on tourist hotspots:
  • Four blasts over 24 hours in Hua Hin where two people died
  • Two blasts in Surat Thani where one person died
  • Two blasts in the tourist beach town of Patong on Phuket island
  • One blast in Trang where one person died
  • Blasts in the beach province of Phang Nga
Hua Hin is about 200km (125 miles) from the capital Bangkok while the province of Phuket is in the far south. Both places, as well as Phang Nga, are known for their scenic beaches.

Two bombs went off in front of police stations in Surat Thani within the space of half an hour. Andrea Tazzioli, an Italian tourist injured in Hua Hin, told the Associated Press news agency from his hospitable bed that a man standing next to him had been killed, so he felt lucky to be alive.

"I was having a drink with other people, some of whom I knew, others I didn't [know], and suddenly there was a huge flash of light and an explosion," he said. "Immediately, I was hit in my back luckily I had turned away. It was shrapnel.

"There was blood, people shouting, others injured, one person dead, others shouting, others running away, others crying, others fainting, others who didn't know what to do. Someone helped me. Then the police arrived and I was taken to hospital."

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."
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