Eleven Bombings Rock THAILAND; Four Die

Thailand finds itself in a chaotic pickle after it was beset by 11 individual bombings across five different provinces with a 24-hour time period. The attacks claimed the lives of four persons, and 35 other sustained injuries. Speculation is on the rise that the bombings were targeting tourist destinations in the country, as 10 of the wounded were foreign tourists.

CNN reports that the bombs detonated in the latter half of Thursday August 11, and in the morning of Friday August 12. The first strikes were two bombs at the resort town of Hua Nin southwest of the capital Bangkok, and one at Trang province. One was killed and six injured at Trang, with another dead and 21 more wounded at Hua Nin. Come August 12, multiple bombs detonated at several other locations in Thailand. Surat Thani was hit with two, killing one and wounding at least three; the resort island province of Phuket got another two bombs, though only one was unlucky and received superficial injuries; two more bombs also exploded at the province of Phang-na, though fortunately no one was harmed; lastly Hua Nin was further wracked with two more explosions that killed a fourth victim in total and added three more wounded.

The Hua Nin resort got the brunt of the bombings. The Thursday night bombs exploded at the “Johnny’s 56” bar and the Rain Tree Spa, popular tourist hangouts at the town. The lone fatality was a woman fruit vendor, according to Lieutenant Colonel Samoer Yoosumran of the Royal Thai Police.

Thomas Mohr of Sao Paolo Hospital in Hua Nin added that the wounded tourists from the blasts hailed from the Netherlands, Austria, Italy and Germany. Lieutenant Colonel Yoosumran then said that the bombs were set in place inside tree pots close to the target locations.

Come Friday morning, Phuket was hit next by two bombs at the touristy Bang La Street and Patong Beach, said by Phuket Provincial Police chief Major General Theerapol Thipcharoen, who added that the only casualty was being treated for minor wounds.

Surat Thani police captain Chavalit Chanmornoi tells CNN that the sole fatality in the province was a municipal worker struck down by the first of its two explosions. The wounded in the area were alternately counted between three and four by local police and the RTP.

The RTP also reported that the Phang Na province bombings were focused at the Bang Miang marketplace, while the second set of Hua Nin bombs were again hidden in tree pots near a town clock tower.

Investigations have ruled out connections to terrorism or the recent Thai constitutional referendum, as laid out in a police press conference on Friday. Rather, it’s believed the bombings were separate acts of local business sabotage.

Photo Credit to www.mirror.co.uk