Police in Chon Buri’s Banglamung district have arrested 2 prolific motorbike thieves. Officers of Police Region 2 announced that 2 suspects, identified as 31 year old Eakkachai ‘Ton’ Jantamoon and 34 year old Manas ‘Dam’ Saeueang, were arrested at a room in Soi Sukhumwit 31.

Officers seized 8 vehicles in total. The pair have been charged with multiple counts of theft by night.

Authorities say many motorbikes have been stolen in the Nongprue and other nearby areas during the last month. Several victims of the thieves thanked police for recovering their vehicles.

The suspects reportedly confessed that they stole motorbikes and sold them on a LINE group. The motorbikes would then be sent to Wangnoi in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya before being transferred to buyers in neighbouring countries.

Police also report that the suspects were previously arrested for drug charges.

SOURCE: The Pattaya News

In an unexpected development to a story which has recently made headlines, police in Nonthaburi, just north of Bangkok, now claim sex, rather than theft, was the likely motivation behind the cases of spiked water bottles of joggers at a public park. On Friday police announced progress in the investigation into cases at the park in the government complex, following reports in June of joggers being hospitalised after drinking water from their sports bottles.

9 men have now been questioned and detained by police over alleged sexual activities at Nonthaburi City Hall’s park. They were detained as part of an ongoing investigation into the mysterious complaints.

Tests indicated the water from the bottles had been spiked with Xylazine, and the bottles appeared to have been pierced by a syringe needle. Xylazine is an anaesthetic and sedative used by veterinarians for cattle, horses and cats.

“2 similar incidents were reported on June 15 and 19, and both victims were males aged 43 and 42 respectively. They suffered from blurred vision, shortness of breath and vomiting after drinking water from their bottle before passing out, and had to be hospitalised. Preliminary investigation on the water bottles and the victims’ urine found traces of Xylazine.”

Police say they worked with local government offices, who told them the park is a known meeting place for gay men. Since the victims did not report any valuable items stolen, officials suspected sex was probably the motivation.

“We have investigated 9 suspects who frequently visited the park. All are male and were carrying items such as condoms, lubricant gels as well as “homosexual video clips” on their phones.”

Nonthaburi’s governor says when he was alerted to the incidents, he ordered municipal officials to deploy surveillance staff in the park and other public parks in Nonthaburi, to prevent any more such incidents.

“We have also installed more lighting and CCTV cameras in suspected areas to ensure people’s safety.”

SOURCE: Nation Thailand

Officers of Thailand’s Police Region 2, covering the entire eastern region, displayed a huge cache of weapons seized so far in a crackdown this month. The news was released yesterday at a press briefing at the Region 2 headquarters in Chon Buri.

From July 3-9, police of Region 2, comprising 8 provinces: Chanthaburi, Chachoengsao, Chon Buri, Trad, Nakhon Nayok, Prachin Buri, Rayong and Sa Kaeo, seized 334 firearms, 1,356 rounds of ammunition, 5 bombs, and arrested 291 suspects.

A spokesman said they’re a mission to rid the region of crime and have been working continuously toward this goal, especially in light of the recent increase in violent and gun-related incidents. He said their efforts are a major step to make the streets safer.

Thailand has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the world. About 1 in 10 people in Thailand legally own a gun. It’s estimated that there are more than 6 million registered guns in a country with a population of 69 million.

SOURCE: The Pattaya News