PHUKET: Two large bomb blasts rocked the southern Thailand city of Had Yai today, injuring at least eight people and destroying many cars and motorcycles.

Three police were among those injured.

One blast went off inside the Had Yai police station compound about 2.30pm. The second blast came at the train station.

Both were believed to be generated by explosives hidden in motorcycles.

Police were not speculating about whether the blasts were the work of separatists or had some other motive. At least 10 cars were destroyed in the blast at the police station car park.

Had Yai, one of the largest cities in southern Thailand, has been a target for blasts in the past but most of the violence and deaths have been further south, in the provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala.