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Malay Mail
28-06-2025
- Malay Mail
Bomb scare in Phuket and Krabi as Thai authorities foil plot to hurt tourism, arrest five suspects from Pattani
PHUKET, June 28 – Thai authorities have ramped up security in Phuket, Songkhla and Chiang Mai this week following the discovery of multiple improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in popular tourist destinations along its Andaman coast. The Bangkok Post reported that heightened alert comes after 29-year-old suspect Muhama Wadeng admitted to planting two IEDs near a construction site on Surin Beach, prompting an extensive search by explosive ordnance teams and police. One device was located and destroyed, while efforts to find the second are ongoing. Officials said they are continuing their search to ensure the area is safe. Other explosives were found at Promthep Cape and Patong Beach, while another device hidden in a motorcycle was destroyed on Wednesday night. Motorcycles left unattended for extended periods at Phuket airport have been moved to Sakhu police station, with owners required to provide ID and registration documents to retrieve their vehicles. The security operation followed the arrest of suspects Wadeng and Sulaiman Kacha in Phangnga's Muang district on Tuesday. Both suspects are residents of Pattani province. Lt Gen Paisan Nusang, head of the 4th Army Area, said interrogations led to three more arrests in Pattani, revealing a plot masterminded by insurgent leaders based overseas. The devices were reportedly not meant to be detonated but to instil fear among residents and damage the tourism-dependent economy of Phuket, Krabi, and Phangnga. Bombs were found at Phuket airport, Surin Beach, Patong Beach, and Promthep Cape. In Krabi, devices were defused at Hat Noppharat Thara beach and inside a wooden sculpture. In Phangnga, explosives were discovered in a car near the governor's residence and on Sarasin Bridge, which connects the province to Phuket. In response to the threat, Chiang Mai airport increased patrols and issued warnings about abandoned vehicles. Songkhla also boosted security in Hat Yai and four border districts. Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said the incidents were aimed at undermining economic stability and fuelling political unrest.
Bangkok Post
27-06-2025
- Bangkok Post
Two more suspected explosive devices found in Krabi, Phuket
KRABI/PHUKET: Two more suspected explosive devices were discovered in these two southern Thai tourist provinces on Friday afternoon, authorities said. In Krabi, police bomb disposal officers successfully disabled a device found near the Pla Bai (sailfish) sculpture plaza at Ao Nang beach at about 2pm. The object, which resembled an artificial rock, had been planted on the seawall near the sculpture in the bustling commercial and tourist zone of Ao Nang. An initial inspection showed that the object, suspected to be a homemade explosive device, was similar in design to one found recently in Phangnga province. Police cordoned off the area to prevent local residents and tourists from entering the area. The location is a well-known photography spot at Ao Nang beach. An explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team was called in to examine the device. They safely disarmed it and said it had been fitted with a 120-day countdown timer. The EOD team found another suspicious object at Noppharat Thara beach, beneath a banyan tree opposite the staff living quarters of Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park. The item, resembling a PVC pipe about 4–6 inches in length, was retrieved using a rope for safety. Upon inspection, no explosive materials were found. In Phuket, EOD officers destroyed a second suspected object on Patong beach on Friday following statements made by two suspects that two devices had been planted in the area. EOD teams, officers from Provincial Police Region 8 and Phuket police conducted a thorough sweep of the area around 4pm after the first device was discovered and safely destroyed on Thursday. It was buried in the sand beneath a tree about 400 metres from the Bangla Patong police booth, near the Dolphin public park. A search on Friday led authorities to a second site, located about 50 metres from the initial discovery. The device was retrieved and destroyed. On Thursday, bomb squads destroyed suspected explosive devices in Phuket and Krabi following the arrest of two men linked to a suspicious object found at the Phuket airport on Wednesday. Authorities said the devices appeared intended to cause fear rather than damage, but urged the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious objects they see. The two suspects linked to the airport incident — Sulaiman Kacha, 27, and Muhama Wadeng, 29 — were arrested in Muang district of Phangnga on Tuesday. Police seized explosive devices from their car. During questioning, the two men told police that four explosive devices had been planted — one hidden in a motorcycle abandoned near Phuket International Airport, two buried at Patong beach and one at Promthep Cape. The pair reportedly told police that they had two accomplices who remain at large.
