Bombs shake Thailand tourist towns, and industry confidence

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Bombs shake Thailand tourist towns, and industry confidence 
PENNY WANG, Associated Press
MARTHA MENDOZA, Associated Press

 

HUA HIN, Thailand (AP) — Tourists huddled in their hotel rooms and ducked inside buildings after bombs, one after another, exploded in at least five areas of Thailand, including popular beach cities, killing at least four people and wounding dozens more.

 

"The security in the bar told me to get back into the bar and they just shut down the shutters and made sure everyone was at the back of the bar and after about ... a 10 minute or so wait, there was a second bang," tourist Shane Brett told Australian Broadcasting Corp. from his hotel room in Hua Hin on Friday, the morning after the Thursday night blasts.

 

Those attacks killed a street vendor and wounded 21 other people in the beach city about 200 kilometers (120 miles) southwest of Bangkok. Another pair of bombs exploded Friday morning in Hua Hin, killing one person and wounding three.

 

Official at hospitals that treated victims of both blasts said some are from countries including Germany, Italy, Austria and the Netherlands.

 

Bombs also went off on Phuket's Loma Beach in southern Thailand and the southern provinces of Trang, Surat Thani and Phang Nga. One person was killed in the Trang blast, which occurred Thursday, and another was killed in the Surat Thani attack on Friday morning.

 

Police said it was too soon to say who was behind the attacks, but added that they had have ruled out international terrorism or a long-running insurgency in the country's Islamic south.

 

Phuket in particular is frequented by millions of European, Chinese and Thai tourists each year who come to swim in the warm, azure sea, party at the open air night clubs and explore tropical rainforests. The other towns hit are less prominent international destinations but still popular among Thais and many foreigners.

 

Even as police searched for suspects and fears of more bombs continued, locals said the explosions will be a blow to tourism, a critical source of income. Governments including the U.S., Germany, Australia and Britain advised their citizens traveling in Thailand to take precautions.

 

Henrik Buuz, 62, of Denmark sipped beer in a Hua Hin hotel lobby Friday. He said that while he might not have taken security seriously in the past, he no longer felt safe in the sunny beach town where streets were remarkably quiet for the beginning of a three-day holiday.

 

"No, no, no, no. Now we don't think it's funny anymore," said Buuz.

 

Tourism suffered a temporary setback after a bomb blast ripped through a Bangkok shrine nearly a year ago, killing 20 people, mostly visitors from other Asian countries.

 

"This ruins business. Hotels, restaurants, tours, we were already suffering, but this, it's going to ruin our lives," said Hua Hin Adventure Tours guide Natsupa Dechapanya.

 

Natsupa raced Thursday from hotel to hotel visiting clients and warning them not to go outside, especially where people gather. She was also fielding cancellation calls, although she was staying away from her office, opposite a clock tower where Friday's bombs went off.

 

"I'm scared. It's bad," she said. "This is the first time this has happened in Hua Hin. We think of this as a safe town, but now everyone is fearful. We feel like we're not safe."

 

She said because the explosions happened hours apart, many — including herself — are worried about whether the attacks are over. And she said tension on city streets is palpable.

 

"Usually this is a friendly town, but today no one wants to look up. People don't want to look each other in the eyes," she said.

 

Thailand's economy has struggled since a 2014 military coup; investors grew wary and have stayed away, but tourists came back, even after last year's shrine bombing. More than 14 million people visited between January and May 2016 — up from 12.5 million the year before, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

 

Earlier attacks have been tied to political turmoil. Friday was a national holiday in Thailandmarking the Queen's birthday, also Mother's Day. They came less than a week after voters approved a new, junta-backed constitution.

 

Sirasit Teimtontanin, a manager at City Beach Resort in Hua Hin, said one of Friday's explosions went off about 300 meters from the front door. The resort's 50 guests were asked to stay inside, but Sirasit said by late morning, some were venturing out to the beach on a balmy day. Stores, shopping malls and movie theaters were closed. But aside from heavy police presence, he said, his town seemed normal.

 

Nonetheless, he's concerned about the impact of the bombings on tourism. More than 15 rooms had been canceled within hours Thursday.

 

"We've never had anything like this in our city," he said. "Thai tourists will understand the police have the situation under control, but I think European tourists might not be coming."

 

-- © Associated Press 2016-08-12

[Toknarok]

     Quote "More than 15 rooms had been cancelled within hours" Shades of things to come?

[Nasrullah]

"We've never had anything like this in our city," he said. "Thai tourists will understand the police have the situation under control, but I think European tourists might not be coming."

 

 

 

You mean like they have the situation under control  in the south of thailand!

the moms and pops will reconsider coming.....

Edited August 12, 2016 by Nasrullah

[djjamie]

The poor majority. I feel for them. The jobs that will be lost due to bitterness is saddening 

That violent minority group are so bitter that they are no longer relevant and because their intellect is so low they are unable to articulate an appropriate response to the charter they inevitable resort to violence to get their minority message across. Ahbisit did not agree with this charter, but at least he acted appropriately with the majorities best interests at heart. Not one citizen died because Ahbisit didn't agree with the charter. How many will die because the red terrorists don't agree. How many jobs will be lost. They are minority scum.

Edited August 12, 2016 by djjamie

[CarolForexTaxes]

Hope all of you Guys are all right.

[IMA_FARANG]

It's a well knownn technique  for terrorists to plant a 2nd bomb to  explode  shortly after the first one..

The 2nd bomb is to get the rescue and ehe security responders who arrive  to treat casualyies from the first and usually smaller first bomb.

For a terrorist one well trained first aid responder is woth 3 or 4 untrained civilain victims.

Used in Vietnam and other places such as Northeren Ireland.

Not a pretty thought, but unfortunstrly true.

 

 

Edited August 12, 2016 by IMA_FARANG
correct typos

[AGareth2]

S of P is a major tourist destination

[Winniedapu]

The government is quick to say they have no idea who was responsible, but they definitely know who wasn't, so tourists can still be comfortable coming to Thailand and spending (or being scammed out of their cash.

 

Seems a bit cynical to me. Doltish even. Is this really who Thais want running their country? Remarkable if it is, even though only a minority of Thai people voted to pass the referendum.

 

Winnie

[clockman]

But to put things in perspective, The roads and drivers are claiming more victims. Than any bombs. And nobody is concerned!

[Thechook]

12 hours ago, djjamie said:

The poor majority. I feel for them. The jobs that will be lost due to bitterness is saddening 

That violent minority group are so bitter that they are no longer relevant and because their intellect is so low they are unable to articulate an appropriate response to the charter they inevitable resort to violence to get their minority message across. Ahbisit did not agree with this charter, but at least he acted appropriately with the majorities best interests at heart. Not one citizen died because Ahbisit didn't agree with the charter. How many will die because the red terrorists don't agree. How many jobs will be lost. They are minority scum.

Come on the junta fan club need the boogey man, they have had nothing rant about since the cluster muck regime have shown thier true colours.  Glad to see you have identified and executed the offenders so swiftly.

[DM07]

12 hours ago, djjamie said:

The poor majority. I feel for them. The jobs that will be lost due to bitterness is saddening 

That violent minority group are so bitter that they are no longer relevant and because their intellect is so low they are unable to articulate an appropriate response to the charter they inevitable resort to violence to get their minority message across. Ahbisit did not agree with this charter, but at least he acted appropriately with the majorities best interests at heart. Not one citizen died because Ahbisit didn't agree with the charter. How many will die because the red terrorists don't agree. How many jobs will be lost. They are minority scum.

Of course you have rock solid evidence and proof for your claims and you are going to show it, right?!

...

...

...

Thought so!

[BuaBS]

16 hours ago, IMA_FARANG said:

It's a well knownn technique  for terrorists to plant a 2nd bomb to  explode  shortly after the first one..

The 2nd bomb is to get the rescue and ehe security responders who arrive  to treat casualyies from the first and usually smaller first bomb.

For a terrorist one well trained first aid responder is woth 3 or 4 untrained civilain victims.

Used in Vietnam and other places such as Northeren Ireland.

Not a pretty thought, but unfortunstrly true.

 

 

Not just terrorists ... the US too . Drone strike and another to get all responders.

[Denim]

The Erawan bomb was the red shirts for a while wasn't it ?

Then the truth emerged and spoilt a lot of peoples wet dream.

If there is unrest in Thailand we don't need to dig too deep to find out who started it all. The army and the yellowshirts created a divide in society that they cannot heal. They have nobody to blame but themselves.

[williamgeorgeallen]

16 hours ago, IMA_FARANG said:

It's a well knownn technique  for terrorists to plant a 2nd bomb to  explode  shortly after the first one..

The 2nd bomb is to get the rescue and ehe security responders who arrive  to treat casualyies from the first and usually smaller first bomb.

For a terrorist one well trained first aid responder is woth 3 or 4 untrained civilain victims.

Used in Vietnam and other places such as Northeren Ireland.

Not a pretty thought, but unfortunstrly true.

 

 

considering the number of explosions the number of fatalities was quite low. if planted in busier locations each bomb could take out far more people. look at the massive loss of life with less bombs in the bali attacks. this is looking like political unrest which is different from terrorist attacks which are typically conducted to cause mass causalities.

[geriatrickid]

16 hours ago, djjamie said:

The poor majority. I feel for them. The jobs that will be lost due to bitterness is saddening 

That violent minority group are so bitter that they are no longer relevant and because their intellect is so low they are unable to articulate an appropriate response to the charter they inevitable resort to violence to get their minority message across. Ahbisit did not agree with this charter, but at least he acted appropriately with the majorities best interests at heart. Not one citizen died because Ahbisit didn't agree with the charter. How many will die because the red terrorists don't agree. How many jobs will be lost. They are minority scum.

 

 

You can't resist being a  pompous blowhard can you? You are clueless as to who was responsible for these bombs and yet you bombard the forum with idiotic  claims and innuendo. It is irresponsible, and I would  go so far as to say criminal, to make the claims that you are  promoting. Just stifle yourself and resist the urge to  push your personal political agenda on everyone.  

 

Common sense says to wait for some actual facts.  If experts in thes ematters are  advising to wait and see, you should pay attention. Multiple experts and people's who's job it is to track terrorists and political dissidents have a position  quite different from you. Take the hint. Here's an example

However, the bombings are likely not directly related to the recent constitutional reforms, as it would be difficult to plan and execute coordinated explosions in such a short time, Paul Quaglia, a Thailand security expert and 20-year veteran of the CIA, told CNN.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[klauskunkel]

1 hour ago, geriatrickid said:

 

 

You can't resist being a  pompous blowhard can you? You are clueless as to who was responsible for these bombs and yet you bombard the forum with idiotic  claims and innuendo. It is irresponsible, and I would  go so far as to say criminal, to make the claims that you are  promoting. Just stifle yourself and resist the urge to  push your personal political agenda on everyone.  

 

Common sense says to wait for some actual facts.  If experts in thes ematters are  advising to wait and see, you should pay attention. Multiple experts and people's who's job it is to track terrorists and political dissidents have a position  quite different from you. Take the hint. Here's an example

However, the bombings are likely not directly related to the recent constitutional reforms, as it would be difficult to plan and execute coordinated explosions in such a short time, Paul Quaglia, a Thailand security expert and 20-year veteran of the CIA, told CNN.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While I agree with your post in general, I think that the date of the referendum was well known in advance and therefore planning and coordinated execution would not be that difficult. But, I am not an expert...

[lahgon29]

18 hours ago, djjamie said:

The poor majority. I feel for them. The jobs that will be lost due to bitterness is saddening 

That violent minority group are so bitter that they are no longer relevant and because their intellect is so low they are unable to articulate an appropriate response to the charter they inevitable resort to violence to get their minority message across. Ahbisit did not agree with this charter, but at least he acted appropriately with the majorities best interests at heart. Not one citizen died because Ahbisit didn't agree with the charter. How many will die because the red terrorists don't agree. How many jobs will be lost. They are minority scum.

Different post, same message...The Junta loves the likes of you, who laud their every move, no matter what it is. They could most likely arrest the class of a kindergarten in Issan [red shirt territory, so the infants must be guilty], and you would be trumpeting their cause.

 

Looks like you're from Victoria, at a guess.

 

Figures.

 

Sad, sad, man

[Benmart]

5 hours ago, BuaBS said:

Not just terrorists ... the US too . Drone strike and another to get all responders.

Proof please. Any verifiable report will do. Thank you.

[Suradit69]

5 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

 

 

You can't resist being a  pompous blowhard can you? You are clueless as to who was responsible for these bombs and yet you bombard the forum with idiotic  claims and innuendo. It is irresponsible, and I would  go so far as to say criminal, to make the claims that you are  promoting. Just stifle yourself and resist the urge to  push your personal political agenda on everyone.  

 

Common sense says to wait for some actual facts.  If experts in thes ematters are  advising to wait and see, you should pay attention. Multiple experts and people's who's job it is to track terrorists and political dissidents have a position  quite different from you. Take the hint. Here's an example

However, the bombings are likely not directly related to the recent constitutional reforms, as it would be difficult to plan and execute coordinated explosions in such a short time, Paul Quaglia, a Thailand security expert and 20-year veteran of the CIA, told CNN.

 

" Common sense says to wait for some actual facts.  "

 

I was about to ask if you were new to Thai Visa forums, but obviously you're not.

[koolkarl]

I am always in wonder why tourists visit Thailand at all.

It has a history of being politically unstable, xenophobic attitude towards all foreigners, dual pricing,

gangs of uneducated Thais beating up old tourists, rip offs, scams, not inexpensive anymore, etc.

Many other countries to visit or live in that do not have these issues. 

[brucegoniners]

It's going to be a very quiet "high season".

 

I'm really surprised that the PM hasn't directly accused Thaksin and his people of this.  I can't think of anyone else who would do it and do it like this.

 

These acts were not done by Islamic terrorists.  If it had been then there would have been a lot more death and destruction.  This was to send a message and to ruin tourism once again.

 

It may be 2 years before it recovers.

[MissAndry]

Dry days and bombs ........ why would a tourist come here?

 

As to who did the bombs, it's usually rival Army factions having turf wars. Which is why you never hear any more about who did it.

Edited August 13, 2016 by MissAndry

[Toknarok]

     Every time I see a post from our broken record member Djamie I automatically link it to the Aussie Rules team that he he so fervently supports, just like he does the Junta. The Essendon Bombers, what a bunch of losers, the whole team was caught up in a doping scandal recently and they were lucky to not to be kicked out of the League. So far this season they have played NINETEEN games and won ONE. Bit like the Junta I suppose, not attained much except a win a a referendum in which they cheated.

[connda]

Looks as though someone is deliberately targeting the tourist industry, at least in the South. 

[connda]

Looks as though someone is deliberately targeting the tourist industry, at least in the South. 

[BuaBS]

7 hours ago, Benmart said:

Proof please. Any verifiable report will do. Thank you.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-24557333

http://www.businessinsider.com/us-drones-bomb-civilian-rescuers-2013-7

ok , dude ?

[rhythmworx]

Time for the TAT to 'lure' in the tourists by abolishing the national park entrance fee.

 

Maybe a voucher for a free Pad Thai on KSR

[Thian]

1 hour ago, rhythmworx said:

Time for the TAT to 'lure' in the tourists by abolishing the national park entrance fee.

 

Maybe a voucher for a free Pad Thai on KSR

 

Once i got a food-voucher on Swampy airport. I ordered a nice sandwich, got it but they wouldn't accept my voucher! Only certain shops do but nobody told me so.

[digibum]

On August 12, 2016 at 2:45 AM, IMA_FARANG said:

It's a well knownn technique  for terrorists to plant a 2nd bomb to  explode  shortly after the first one..

The 2nd bomb is to get the rescue and ehe security responders who arrive  to treat casualyies from the first and usually smaller first bomb.

For a terrorist one well trained first aid responder is woth 3 or 4 untrained civilain victims.

Used in Vietnam and other places such as Northeren Ireland.

Not a pretty thought, but unfortunstrly true.

 

 

 

Yeah, except that seems to have nothing to do with the type of placement/timing that happened here.  

[digibum]

2 hours ago, rhythmworx said:

Time for the TAT to 'lure' in the tourists by abolishing the national park entrance fee.

 

Maybe a voucher for a free Pad Thai on KSR

 

Yeah, I was all set to go to Cuba on vacation this year and then I heard that they eliminated the national park entrance fee in Afghanistan.  I will risk the life of my family to avoid a $10 fee.