Cover image via Daily News via AP
Tourism hotspots of Hua Hin and Phuket have been hit by what appears to be a series of co-ordinated bomb blasts across Thailand, killing at least four people and leaving 19 people injured. Following which, Thai police were put on alert for further explosive devices.
According to the New York Times, two bombs went off at the Hua Hin resort in Thailand late Thursday evening. Following which, more explosions struck in Hua Hin, as well as at the Patong beach at a popular resort island, Phuket, on Friday morning.
At roughly the same time as the Phuket explosions, two more explosions were reported near a police station in the province of Surat Thani, [the NYT reported](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/12/world/asia/thailand-bombings-hua-hin-phuket.html).
Image via Iris Independent
The two blasts on Thursday night in Hua Hin were in an area of bars and nightclubs popular with foreign tourists. Hidden in pot plants, they were allegedly detonated by mobile phones, reported AFP.
The timing of the bomb blasts is said to be sensitive as Thais mark a long weekend for the queen's birthday, reported the BBC
While Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan, a Deputy PM in Thailand's military-run government, said that it's unclear on who actually did it and what were their motives, terrorism have been ruled out
A Thai police officer guards the site in Hua Hin where a small bomb exploded.
A threat to Thailand's reputation as a holiday-maker's paradise
Small blasts are common in Thailand during times of heightened political tension. However, there have been few such incidents in the past year and it is rare for tourists — a key source of income for the kingdom — to be targeted, [reported AFP](http://www.livemint.com/Politics/KLjCJLCc2VLXXWzGAzHppL/Thailand-rocked-by-bomb-blasts-at-least-4-killed.html).
The latest incident only contributes to Thailand's dwindling reputation as the "Land of Smiles", where crimes against foreigners have been on the rise in recent times, despite which, though, tourists continue to flock to its sandy beaches and famed temples.
The latest blasts come several days before the one-year anniversary of the last major attack on tourists in Thailand when [a bomb in the capital killed 22 people on 17 August](http://says.com/my/news/bangkok-erawan-shrine-bomb-blast-facts).
