Explosions Leave 1 Dead, 22 Injured at Thai Resort Town

Bangkok, 09 Dzulqa’dah 1437/12 August 2016  (MINA) – At least 1 person was killed and 22 others injured after two explosions ripped through the Thai resort town of Hua Hin late Thursday.

Police Commander Kasana Jamswang of Prachuap Kiri Khan Province Police told reporters that one person was killed while four others remained in a critical condition after two explosions occurred shortly before midnight on a popular street with tourists and locals alike.

“We’re not prepared to speculate on the motives of these attacks,” said Jamswang. “But we have sent in EOD [Explosive Ordnance Disposal] teams to investigate and ask that all entertainment facilities be shut down.”

Edwin Wiek, a Hua Hin resident who was at the scene of the attack, told Anadolu Agency by phone that at least four foreign nationals were among those injured.

“I have lived here for over 20 years and have never seen anything like this,” Wiek said.

Police have asked locals to shelter in place or return home if they are near their places of residence.

The blasts occurred the day before the long weekend celebrating the Queen’s birthday in Thailand, which is also marked as Mother’s Day by locals.

A separate attack also occurred earlier in the day in the southern Province of Trang, 850 kilometers (528 miles) south of Bangkok, injuring six.

An insurgency in Thailand’s Muslim south has wracked border areas with Malaysia for decades, but insurgents have rarely troubled areas north of this.

The two attacks also occur less than a week after a junta-backed constitution was approved by a referendum, increasing military influence in the political process following a 2014 coup. (T/R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)