HUA HIN, Thailand (AP) – Thais and tourists headed warily into the main part of a big holiday weekend Saturday as police looked for suspects and a motive behind a series of blasts that shook resort towns across Thailand, killing four people and wounding dozens more.
There was no claim of responsibility for the attacks Thursday and Friday, which followed a successful referendum last weekend on a new constitution that critics say will bolster the military’s power for years to come.
The violence appeared aimed at dealing a blow to the country’s tourism industry, which brings in crucial income to the government. One small bomb exploded on a beach in Patong on the island of Phuket and four others rattled the seaside resort city of Hua Hin, prompting businesses to shut their doors, streets to empty and anxious tourists to huddle inside their hotels.
Eleven foreigners were wounded in the blasts, including nationals of Austria, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
“We hope we may have some suspects today or tomorrow,” Police Gen. Pongsapat Pongcharoen, a deputy national police chief, told reporters Saturday. He did not elaborate, but said police were gathering evidence and that international militant groups were not believed to be behind the attacks.