SURAT THANI - The next full-moon party on Koh Phangan on Thursday will be held with heightened security measures in the wake of the recent series of deadly bomb blasts and arson attacks.
The security reinforcement was aimed at "bolstering confidence for people and tourists", Surat Thani governor Wongsasiri Promchana said after a meeting in Muang district on Wednesday.
Surat Thani was one of the southern provinces targeted by attackers. A building was torched and two bombs went off in Muang district on Friday morning.
Investigators are checking the footage of closed-circuit cameras to substantiate their theory about two suspects -- an arsonist and a bomber -- and were checking their escape routes.
Police need more evidence before seeking arrest warrants for the two, provincial police chief Pol Maj Gen Apichart Boonsrirote said.
Bomb and arson attacks last Thursday and Friday in the resort town of Hua Hin, Surat Thani, Phuket, Phangnga, Trang, Surat Thani and Nakhon Si Thammarat killed four people and injured 37 others. In Surat Thani, one person died and four were hurt.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Wednesday conceded there had been slight damage to the country's image as a tourism destination but expected no slump of visitors.
Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Yuthasak Supasorn has said the attacks could see up to 200,000 visitors cancelling their trips to the country by the end of this year.
