Thai deputy PM contradicts police, says bombings not linked to Muslim insurgency

Thai soldiers inspect the scene of a car bomb blast outside a hotel in the southern province of Pattani, Thailand August 24, 2016. REUTERS/Surapan Boonthanom

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Last month's bombings in Thai tourist towns were not linked to Muslim separatists, Thailand's defence minister said on Thursday, contradicting the police.

There has been a series of bomb attacks in the central and far south, including coordinated bombings in tourist towns in August that killed four Thai people and wounded dozens, including foreigners.