Story Highlights• Croatian tourist says he saw people bloody and running• Blast injures 8 at plaza where 2007 countdown planned • Thai authorities cancel major New Year's celebrations in two cities • At least 2 killed in several explosions in Bangkok Adjust font size:
BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- Thai authorities Sunday canceled major New Year's celebrations in Bangkok and Thailand's second largest city, Chiang Mai, after a string of explosions in the capital killed two people. After the celebrations were canceled, another blast shook Bangkok's Kasorn Plaza shortly after midnight, where the city's 2007 countdown was to have taken place. Twelve people were wounded, most of them tourists, police and hospital officials said. Between 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., a series of explosions ripped through several downtown areas in Bangkok in what appeared to be a coordinated attack hours before New Year's Eve celebrations. (Watch the damage left by Bangkok bombs ) No one was seriously injured in those explosions, hospital officials told journalist John Watts. The foreign tourists were from Britain, Serbia, the United States and Hungary, Watts told CNN. Zeljko Bacev, a tourist from Croatia, said he heard both explosions, ten seconds apart. "We witnessed some people running around with blood and jumping all around the place," said Bacev. "At the moment, the streets are empty." CNN's Brad Olson said one of the explosive devices was planted at a phone booth outside Kasorn Plaza. One of the New Year's blasts occurred at a mall near the Victory Monument in the center of the Thai capital, Reuters reported. "There was a big bang and people started screaming and running. I saw people with blood all over their legs and faces," witness Chalermsak Sanbee, 17, told Reuters. In Bangkok, hotels increased security and some canceled New Year's Eve dinners, the AP reported. "I heard there was a bomb scare, but I don't actually know what is going on. All I know is that I paid $300 at the Arnoma Hotel, and they had to end early," Eric Peterson, of Guam, told the AP. But, festivities continued in some areas, including Bangkok's red light district, Patpong Road. And midnight fireworks shows went on in both Bangkok and Chiang Mai, AP reported. Chief government spokesman Yongyuth Mayalarp warned residents to be cautious but not to panic. "The bombings exploded almost simultaneously. It must have been planned," Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont told reporters while visiting some of the wounded at a hospital. But many would-be revelers were shaken by reports of the blasts. American tourist Michael Nelson said he was caught up in a false alarm at the massive Central World Plaza shopping complex where live music and other entertainment was supposed to take place. "There was some panic and people started rushing and it was a false alarm -- maybe people getting scared because of these bombs that have gone off in Bangkok," he said. It was not immediately clear who was behind the attacks, but speculation fell on supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a September bloodless coup led by Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin. A number of arson attacks in provincial areas have been blamed on his followers, The Associated Press reported. "There are two potential suspects: Muslim insurgents and Thaksin's residual power. I tend to think it's residual power. I suspect the previous regime," said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University. Bombings occur on a regular basis in Thailand's three southernmost provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani, where an Islamic insurgency that flared in January 2004 has resulted in the deaths of more than 1,900 people. Thailand canceled its 2005 New Year's celebrations, along with the rest of Southeast Asia and many other countries, to honor the victims of the December 26, 2004 tsunami. The disaster killed more than 200,000 people -- including nearly 6,000 people in Thailand. CNN's Narunart Prapanya and journalists John Watts and Dan Ten Kate contributed to this report Copyright 2006 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. A bomb squad officer searches for clues at the scene of one of the Bangkok blasts. Browse/Search
VIDEOQUICK VOTE |