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Security has been tightened in and around Hua Hin
A series of coordinated blasts across Thailand has targeted tourist towns leaving four dead and many injured, with reports of more explosions.
In the popular resort town of Hua Hin four bombs exploded over the past 24 hours. Several blasts also hit the island of Phuket on Friday.
No group has said it carried out the attacks, but suspicion is likely to fall on separatist insurgents.
The timing is sensitive as Thais mark a long weekend for the queen’s birthday.
Police on Friday ruled out international terrorism and said that any links to the southern insurgency were unclear.
The BBC’s Jonathan Head in Bangkok says that if it turns out insurgents are behind these attacks it would mark a significant change of tactics after a 12-year conflict which has killed more than 6,000 people, but has never targeted tourists.
Where are the blasts?
Reports of sporadic blasts across the southern half of Thailand are still coming in. So far the locations include:
- Four blasts over 24 hours in Hua Hin where two people have died
- Two blasts in Surat Thani where one person has died
- Two blasts in the tourist beach town of Patong on Phuket island
- One blast in Trang where one person has died
- Blasts in the beach province of Phang Nga
Blasts across Thailand in pictures
Hua Hin is about 200km ( 125 miles) south of Bangkok while the province of Phuket is in the far south of the country. Both are areas extremely popular with tourists.
Why has Hua Hin been targeted?
The choice of Hua Hin as a target is symbolic, our correspondent says, being known as a royal city and the king’s favoured residence outside Bangkok.
Last night twin explosions struck a bar area popular with tourists and foreigners were among those injured. Two explosions this morning hit the clock tower in the town centre.
Has Thailand seen similar attacks?
Small improvised bomb attacks have frequently been used in Thailand at times of political unrest, but since the military took power in a coup in May 2014 such attacks have been extremely rare.
“The bombs are an attempt to create chaos and confusion,” PM Prayuth Chan-ocha said to reporters. “We should not make people panic more.”
This comes just days before the one-year anniversary of the bomb blast at the Erawan shrine in Bangkok that killed 20 people.
Last week, Thais voted in a referendum which approved a new constitution that will strengthen the military’s influence in politics for many years.
The UK Foreign Office has advised people in tourist areas in Thailand to “exercise extreme caution, avoid public places and follow the advice of local authorities”.
BBC