Phuket was placed on alert early last Tuesday after two men from Pattani were arrested in Phang Nga while travelling to the island with a suspected timed home-made bomb concealed in their car.
The vehicle raised suspicion after attempting to evade a checkpoint.
During questioning, the suspects admitted to planting other devices in Phuket. Between June 24 and 27, authorities defused four suspicious objects in Phuket and five in Krabi.
Three suspects were also arrested in Krabi in conjunction with the devices, and a motorcycle linked to the case was confiscated from a local mosque.
On June 30, the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) Region 4 – Thailand’s national security agency responsible for the southern provinces – released a news statement confirming that all known suspicious objects, which the suspects admitted to planting, had been safely removed.
Colonel Kiatisak Niwong, spokesman for the ISOC Region 4 forward command, revealed the incidents to be part of a coordinated effort by the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) group to pressure the government into peace negotiations.
He stated that BRN’s strategy involves staging low-impact attacks outside the southernmost provinces to draw attention to touristic or symbolic locations, aiming to instil fear rather than cause harm.
Thai tourism and sports minister Sorawong Thienthong urged the media to avoid sensationalism, emphasising the importance of balanced reporting to maintain tourism confidence.
Tourism operators surveyed by local Thai media have reported no cancellations thus far.
Claude Sauter, general manager at The Slate, told TTG Asia: “We did not receive any cancellations, and hopefully there will be no further incidents.”
Bjorn Courage, president of the Phuket Hotels Association, also weighed in: “Naturally, any threat must be taken seriously, and travel advisory boards are quick to respond as they see appropriate – but the Phuket governor stated it well by saying that the devices were apparently ‘designed to alarm, not harm’.”
On Friday, the Phuket provincial office issued an official statement on its Facebook page confirming public safety and detailing enhanced security and screening measures across the island; security has also been reinforced in Krabi.
Phuket governor Sophon Suwannarat confirmed on Thursday that international tourism bodies had been contacted and informed to help prevent the spread of misinformation.
