Attacks come as shock to usually peaceful Hua Hin, home to Thai royal family’s summer palace
BANGKOK — The four bomb attacks on Thursday (Aug 11) night and Friday in Hua Hin, which killed two and injured at least 24 people mark probably the first time the normally peaceful town (home to the revered Thai royal family’s summer palace) has been hit by violence of this scale.
BANGKOK — The four bomb attacks on Thursday (Aug 11) night and Friday in Hua Hin, which killed two and injured at least 24 people mark probably the first time the normally peaceful town (home to the revered Thai royal family’s summer palace) has been hit by violence of this scale.
Lying some 200km south of Bangkok, the upscale seaside resort town has long been a favourite retreat for King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest reigning monarch.
It is home to the Klai Kangwon palace, which translates as “Far from Worries Palace”, where King Bhumibol and his wife, Queen Sirikit, have often stayed in recent years.
“We’ve never had anything like this in our city,” said manager Sirasit Teimtontanin, of City Beach Resort, located 300m away from where an explosion went off on Friday.
Both local Thais and foreign tourists usually flock to the tranquil town, known for its chic hotels and pristine beaches, with the area busier than usual on Thursday in the lead-up to a major holiday weekend marking the Queen’s birthday.
The most devastating explosions occurred overnight on a busy street filled with bars and restaurants. One Thai woman was killed and about 20 people were wounded, half of them foreigners, according to police Lieutenant Chaiyot Tisawong.
General Sithichai Srisopacharoenrath, the superintendent of police in Hua Hin, said the bombs were hidden inside potted plants and were set off by remote control, half an hour apart. He said a Samsung mobile phone had been recovered that they believe was used to detonate at least one the bombs.
A parade marking the Queen’s birthday went ahead on Friday, just a few hundred metres from the first blast site. Moments later, the second set of bombs went off.
Thailand has been plagued by political violence, including several bombings, since the populist billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted as prime minister in a 2006 military coup after demonstrations accused him of corruption, abuse of power and insulting King Bhumibol.
But most of the violence has taken place in Bangkok and other cities, with Hua Hin widely regarded by Thais as sacred because of its connection to the royal family.
This was one reason why at the height of political turmoil in 2009, the Thai government hosted two summits of South-east Asian and regional leaders in Hua Hin, in the belief that street protesters will stay away out of concern they will be accused of causing disturbance to the Thai royalty.
“The attack on Hua Hin seems like a direct affront at the Kingdom of Thailand,” said Mr Paul Chambers, an expert on the Thai military.
Mr Antonio Leopold Rappa, head of management and security studies at SIM University, added: “For anyone to go there and do this, it is an insult to the King and the royal family.”
The 88-year-old King Bhumibol is currently hospitalised in Bangkok for a number of health issues, a source of anxiety for many Thais and a key factor in the kingdom’s past decade of political turmoil.
In recent years, Hua Hin has also witnessed a property boom, with many condominiums sprouting up to meet demand primarily from foreigners looking for a second home in Thailand.
“This sort of thing does not happen here in Hua Hin,” said Mr Kevin Mcbeath, an Australian retiree who, like many residents of the upmarket town some 200km south of Bangkok, was shaken by the fatal attacks.
“(It’s a) nice quiet place to retire, a lot of expats here,” he said, adding the bombings were “not good at all” for the popular holiday destination. AGENCIES