Reports tonight on the web sites of the Thai Rath newspaper and other media said the bombs were hidden in planters on a busy street with open-front bars.
The victims include Thais and foreign tourists, whose nationalities were not immediately known, according to the reports.
The reported fatality was a female street food vendor.
It was not clear who was behind the attack, but the timing suggested it might be an effort to embarrass the military government that took power two years ago.