Durban - A former Durban woman has described how fearful she and her husband were while honeymooning in Thailand, where a spate of bomb attacks since last Thursday have killed at least four people and injured dozens of others.
Sabrina (Naidoo) Adendorff, 26 and her husband Ethan, 24, formerly of Cape Town, arrived in Phuket on August 10 - a day before 11 bombs went off in five provinces, including the popular tourist destination.
No one has claimed responsibility for the blasts, but Thai police say there is no evidence the attacks are related to international terrorism.
One bomb exploded near a bar in Hua Hin late on Thursday, killing one Thai woman and wounding 21 people. One person died and three people were wounded in one of the Friday morning blasts near a clock tower in Hua Hin. In addition, two small bombs exploded in the tourist beach town of Patong on Phuket island, and two more in Phang Nga, another tourist region north of Phuket, local police said.
Sabrina said that she and her husband had spent Thursday lazing at their hotel pool and were back in their room dressing for dinner when she heard the news.
“I had switched on the television and saw the news of the bombing. I was shocked.
“Pretty soon... my parents began messaging, and so did Ethan’s. They were very worried.”
Sabrina said initially they were told that bombs had been found, but nothing had detonated. “This changed following the newspaper reports, but we didn’t hear anything from the hotel.”
She said that on Friday morning, the area was quiet. “It was dark and the streets were empty. We had a tour planned, but the tour operators said all tours were cancelled. People were advised to stay indoors, avoid tourist sites and avoid going to the airport.”
The newlyweds, who live and work in Abu Dhabi, were fearful and spent Friday confined to their hotel room, watching the news.
“No one was giving us any direction. At one point I just wanted to go home. Our families were also freaking out,” said Sabrina.
She said by the weekend, a few more shops began opening their doors.
“At the malls, people’s bags were being checked and there was a strong military presence.”
Sabrina said she had heard a lot about Thailand from her parents and others, especially the night life and shopping: “I didn’t really get to explore the night life and most of the tourist sites.
“We thought about extending our holiday but... I also want to go home, given the uncertainty at this point.”
Sabrina said guests from all over the world reported that their embassies had made contact with them and told them to get in touch if they needed anything, but “no one from the South African Embassy has contacted us”.
The couple, who got married in Ballito on July 30, were to have returned to Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
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