[MORNING CALM TALES] The night I survived a terrorist attack

Jeffrey Miller recounts surviving a terrorist bombing in Hat Yai, southern Thailand, after leaving Korea for what he thought would be a fresh start. He had walked away from the restaurant area only minutes before the blast, then returned the next day to see the damage and learn how close he had come to being caught in it. He later reached Bangkok amid a military coup and saw a tank outside his hotel. The experience left him wondering whether he had been too quick to say goodbye to Korea.

He arrived in Hat Yai after flying from Bangkok and checking into the Novotel in the city center.

The explosion happened in a Japanese chain restaurant in the basement of the shopping center next to the Novotel.

The bombing killed several people and injured many others, according to the writer.

Three days later, he flew north to Bangkok and found the city in the middle of a military coup.

Published Sep 16, 2026 5:20 am KST

Police in riot gear keep guard outside southern Thailand's Hat Yai airport, Sept. 3, 2008. Yonhap

Twenty years ago, I said goodbye to Korea. At least, I thought I did.

Within days, I found myself in a smoke-filled street in southern Thailand, surrounded by sirens, soldiers, emergency vehicles and people running for their lives. I had no idea that the road taking me away from Korea would eventually lead me right back.

Without getting into all the circumstances behind my sudden departure from the Land of the Morning Calm for the Land of Smiles, several other teachers and I resigned from what had once been one of the best teaching jobs in Korea. For me, that chapter was over. I packed my bags and left, convinced Thailand would offer a fresh start.

I had heard there might be teaching opportunities in southern Thailand, so I flew to Bangkok and then continued south to Hat Yai. I booked a few nights at the Novotel in the city center. Before looking for work, I planned to take a few days to rest and explore a part of Thailand I had never seen before.

After checking in that Saturday afternoon, I went looking for something to eat. A market and department store were just down the street, with a row of cafes and restaurants beyond them.

As I wandered in that direction, something struck me: it was quiet. Strangely quiet for a late Saturday afternoon.

Outside one cafe, a foreigner sat drinking a beer. We struck up a conversation, and since he seemed to know the area, I asked where I could get a good meal. He rattled off several possibilities — Thai food, Western food, just about anything I wanted.

As travelers often do when they meet another foreigner far from home, we quickly fell into easy conversation. Where are you from? How long have you been here? What brought you to Thailand?

I thanked him and continued on, but the long day of traveling was beginning to catch up with me. After only a few more steps, I changed my mind and turned back toward the hotel.

At the time, it seemed like an insignificant decision.

In the basement of the shopping center next to the Novotel was a Japanese chain restaurant I knew from Bangkok. I went inside, sat down and ordered.

Then everything changed. A commotion erupted outside. Voices rose. People began moving quickly. A server hurried to my table.

“I’m sorry. We have to close.”

He answered with one word: “Bomb.”

For a moment, I wasn’t sure I had heard him correctly. Then I stepped outside. The quiet street was gone. Smoke hung in the air. Sirens screamed through the city. Police cars, fire engines, ambulances and military vehicles converged on the area. Soldiers carrying weapons moved through the streets. People were running from the direction of the market while others stood staring through the smoke, trying to understand what had happened.

It was like a war zone.

Only minutes earlier, I had been waiting for dinner. Now I had no idea what had happened — or whether something else was about to happen.

I headed back to the Novotel. Guests were already leaving, dragging suitcases through the lobby. I overheard one man say there was no way he was spending another night in Hat Yai. Outside, the sirens continued.

That morning, I had believed I was beginning a new life. By nightfall, I was sitting in a hotel room wondering what in the hell I had gotten myself into.

Fighting a fire, published in The Korea Times Oct. 5, 2006. Korea Times Archive

The next morning, curiosity got the better of me. After breakfast, I walked back toward the market.

In daylight, the destruction was even more unsettling. Broken glass covered the sidewalks. The side of the department store was blackened by smoke. Two burned-out cars sat in the street. Police and cleanup crews were still on the scene while dozens of people wandered through the area, pointing at the damage and trying to piece together what had happened.

Then I saw someone familiar across the street. It was the foreigner from the cafe, but now he was wearing a hospital gown.

For a moment, I just stared. He saw me and started across the street. As he came closer, I could see cuts and abrasions covering his face. He looked pale and shaken.

“Man, you’re so lucky,” he said.

I didn’t understand.

Then he pointed toward one of the burned-out cars. “Right after you left, a bomb went off in that car.”

I looked at the wreckage. That was where I had been, only a short time before the explosion. Had I stayed and talked a little longer, I might have been there when the bomb went off.

I might have been the one wearing a hospital gown, or worse.

Later, I learned it had been a terrorist bombing. Several people had been killed and many others injured.

Shrapnel, published in The Korea Times Oct. 5, 2006. Korea Times Archive

That afternoon brought another surreal turn. Members of Thailand’s royal family and government officials came to Hat Yai in the aftermath of the bombing. I watched the royal entourage pass through the area.

Later, a former prime minister walked along the crowd lining the street, shaking hands. I appeared to be the only foreigner there, and perhaps that caught his attention. When he reached me, he extended his hand, and I shook it.

So much for a few quiet days of R&R.

Three days later, I flew north. I thought I was leaving the chaos behind. I wasn’t. Thailand was in the middle of a military coup.

And then there was a tank, parked outside my hotel.

I stood there staring at it, trying to take in the absurdity of the past few days. I had left Korea expecting a fresh start in Thailand. Instead, I had narrowly missed a terrorist bombing in Hat Yai and arrived in Bangkok in the middle of a military coup.

The whole thing was becoming almost too improbable not to laugh about.

And for the first time since leaving Korea, a thought began working its way into my mind. Maybe I had been too quick to say goodbye.

Jeffrey Miller is the author of several novels . His latest is " The Tree at Panmunjom ," about the 1976 Axe Murder Incident. Reach him at daejeonscribe@yahoo.com.

杰弗里·米勒讲述了他在离开韩国前往泰国南部合艾后，侥幸躲过一场恐怖袭击的经历。他原本以为在合艾会开启一段新的生活。爆炸发生前几分钟，他刚刚离开餐厅区域，第二天返回查看损毁情况，才知道自己险些被卷入其中。后来，他抵达曼谷时正值军事政变，并在酒店外看到了一辆坦克。这段经历让他不禁反思，自己当初是否太过草率地告别了韩国。

他从曼谷飞抵合艾，入住市中心的诺富特酒店。

爆炸发生在诺富特酒店旁边购物中心地下室的一家日本连锁餐厅。

据作者称，爆炸造成多人死亡，多人受伤。

三天后，他飞往北方的曼谷，发现这座城市正处于军事政变之中。

发布于2026年9月16日凌晨5:20（韩国标准时间）

2008年9月3日，身着防暴装备的警察在泰国南部合艾机场外站岗。（韩联社）

二十年前，我告别了韩国。至少，我当时是这么认为的。

几天后，我发现自己身处泰国南部一条烟雾弥漫的街道上，周围是警笛声、士兵、救护车和四处逃窜的人们。我当时完全没有想到，这条带我离开韩国的路，最终会把我带回原点。

我不想赘述我突然离开“晨曦之国”前往“微笑之国”的种种缘由，总之，我和其他几位老师辞去了曾经在韩国最好的教职之一。对我来说，那段经历已经结束了。我收拾行囊，离开了韩国，坚信泰国会给我带来新的开始。

我听说泰国南部可能有教书的机会，于是飞到曼谷，然后继续南下到合艾。我在市中心的诺富特酒店订了几个晚上。在找工作之前，我打算休息几天，探索一下我从未去过的泰国地区。

周六下午办理入住后，我便出门找吃的。街对面就有一家市场和百货商店，再往前走就是一排咖啡馆和餐馆。

我朝着那个方向漫步时，突然意识到：这里很安静。对于一个周六傍晚来说，这安静得有些反常。

在一家咖啡馆外，一个外国人正坐在那里喝啤酒。我们聊了起来，他看起来很熟悉这片区域，于是我问他哪里能吃到好吃的。他一口气说出了好几个选择——泰餐、西餐，几乎什么都有。

就像很多旅行者在异国他乡遇到其他外国人时一样，我们很快就轻松地聊了起来。你来自哪里？你在这里多久了？是什么让你来到泰国？

我向他道谢后继续前行，但一整天的旅途劳顿让我感到疲惫。走了没几步，我改变主意，转身往酒店方向走去。

当时，这似乎是一个无关紧要的决定。

在诺富特酒店旁边的购物中心地下室里，有一家我在曼谷就认识的日本连锁餐厅。我走了进去，坐下，点了餐。

然后一切都变了。外面一片混乱，人们大声喧哗，脚步也加快了。一位服务员匆匆来到我的桌边。

“抱歉，我们得关门了。”

他只回答了一个词：“炸弹。”

一时间，我几乎不敢相信自己的耳朵。然后我走出了门。宁静的街道消失了，空气中弥漫着浓烟。警笛声响彻全城。警车、消防车、救护车和军车迅速赶到现场。士兵们扛着武器在街上穿梭。人们纷纷从市场方向逃窜，而其他人则站在烟雾中，茫然地望着前方，试图弄明白究竟发生了什么。

那里简直像个战区。

就在几分钟前，我还在等着吃晚饭。现在我完全不知道发生了什么——也不知道接下来是否还会发生什么事。

我返回诺富特酒店。客人们已经开始离开，拖着行李箱穿过大堂。我无意中听到一个男人说他绝不会在合艾再待一晚。外面，警笛声依旧响起。

那天早上，我还以为自己即将开启新生活。到了晚上，我却坐在酒店房间里，纳闷自己到底把自己卷入了什么事里。

《扑灭一场火灾》，发表于2006年10月5日《韩国时报》。《韩国时报》档案馆

第二天早上，好奇心战胜了我。吃过早饭后，我又朝市场走去。

白天，眼前的景象更加令人不安。人行道上满是碎玻璃。百货商店的一侧被浓烟熏黑。两辆烧毁的汽车横七竖八地停在街上。警察和清理人员仍在现场，数十名民众在附近徘徊，指着残垣断壁，试图拼凑出究竟发生了什么。

然后我看到街对面有个熟人。是咖啡馆里的那个外国人，但他现在穿着病号服。

我愣愣地盯着他看了一会儿。他看见我，便开始穿过马路。他走近后，我看到他脸上满是割伤和擦伤。他脸色苍白，神情惊恐。

“老兄，你真是太幸运了，”他说。

我没听懂。

然后他指着其中一辆烧毁的汽车说：“你刚走，那辆车里就发生了炸弹爆炸。”

我看着眼前的残骸。爆炸发生前不久，我就在这里。如果我当时多待一会儿，多聊一会儿，或许爆炸时我也在现场。

我可能才是那个穿着病号服的人，甚至更糟。

后来我才知道，这是一起恐怖袭击爆炸案。多人死亡，多人受伤。

《弹片》，发表于2006年10月5日《韩国时报》。《韩国时报》档案馆

那天下午又发生了一件匪夷所思的事。爆炸发生后，泰国皇室成员和政府官员来到了合艾。我亲眼目睹了皇室一行人经过该地区。

后来，一位前首相沿着街道两旁的人群走过来，与人握手。我似乎是那里唯一的外国人，也许这引起了他的注意。他走到我面前时，伸出手，我握住了他的手。

想好好休息几天？没戏了。

三天后，我飞往北方。我以为自己能摆脱混乱，但事实并非如此。泰国正处于军事政变之中。

然后，我看到一辆坦克停在我酒店外面。

我站在那里，盯着眼前的一切，试图消化这几天发生的荒诞事。我离开韩国时，原本期待在泰国开启一段新的生活。结果，我却在合艾险些遭遇恐怖袭击，抵达曼谷时，正值军事政变时期。

整件事变得越来越离谱，让人忍不住想笑。

离开韩国后，我第一次有了这样的想法：也许我当时说再见太草率了。

杰弗里·米勒是多部小说的作者。他的最新作品是《板门店之树》，讲述了1976年的斧头杀人事件。您可以通过daejeonscribe@yahoo.com联系他。