One bomb detonated at Loma Park on the Patong beachfront at 7:35am and a second bomb detonated at the Police Box at the beach end of the tourist-busy Bangla Rd at 8:45am.
Loma Park was to be the venue for celebrations for HM Queen Sirikit’s 84th birthday today. Those festivities have now been cancelled.
A third device reported in front of the Ban Thai resort on the Patong beach road was later confirmed by police as a false report. (See story here.)
At Phuket Airport, Airport Director Monrudee Gettuphan confirmed to The Phuket News, “We are conducting thorough checks on baggage passing through the airport and we have the EOD (bomb-disposal) team on standby.
“We have more patrols throughout the terminal and outside on airport grounds, and security checks on vehicles,” she said.
“We have many security agencies on alert, including security guards, Tourist Police and personnel from the Royal Thai Navy and even local police from Sakoo Police Station.
“More officers have been assigned to patrol the entrance and exit to the airport, and officers are conducting checks on vehicles entering the car park building,” Ms Monrudee added.
No flights have been delayed or cancelled so far as a result of the Patong bombings, Ms Monrudee confirmed.
Capt Pongjak Uraiman, Commanding officer of the Royal Thai Navy Air Squadron 3, which is stationed at the airport, told The Phuket News, “We have increased our security at the airport to the highest level.
“In addition to our regular patrols inside the airport, we have assigned more personnel to bolster patrols outside the terminal,” he said.