Two men detained by police over Thailand bomb attacks

Two men are being questioned by police in connection with a series of bomb blasts targeting tourist resorts in Thailand. Four people were killed and more than 30 others injured in the city of Hua Hin on Thursday (11 August), following a wave of explosions in South Bangkok in 24 hours.

Several blasts were also reported in the islands of Phuket, Surat Thani and Trang the following day. According to an unverified report in the Bangkok Post, two Britons are among the dead and tourists from Germany, Italy, Austria and the Netherlands are among the injured.

Officials report that explosive devices had been hidden in plant pots and detonated remotely using mobile phones. Investigators said they found ball-bearings at the scene of the attacks, which were put in the bombs to cause maximum injury Sky News reports.

Although no group has yet claimed responsibility for the blasts, the attacks in Hua Hin and Phuket have been described by police as "local sabotage". It is thought the bombings might have been carried out by separatist insurgents. Thai officials have ruled out international or Islamist terrorism in connection with the attacks.

The blasts come just days after the country voted to accept a military-backed constitution in a referendum, and ahead of the one year anniversary of the Erawan Shrine bombing, which killed 20 people and injured over 100.

Following the blasts on Thursday and Friday, The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has advised against all but essential travel to the provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and Songkhla on the Thai-Malaysia border, warning holidaymakers to "exercise extreme caution" and to avoid public places.