Chiang Mai police invoke 10pm curfew after samurai gang rampage

Chiang Mai Provincial Police officers imposed a 10pm curfew on locals under 18 years old following a deadly rampage by a criminal gang armed with samurai swords.

The commander of the Provincial Police Region 5, Krittapon Yi-sakhon, revealed to the MumKhao news platform that a group of men, mostly teenage Burmese nationals, repeatedly caused chaos, committed theft, fatally attacked, and harassed both locals and tourists in Chiang Mai since January.

Krittapon announced that officers had planned a crackdown, intending to visit each residence of the teenage members for questioning and to arrest those found guilty. In addition to these proactive operations, officers would also implement a 10pm curfew starting from May 3 onwards.

Individuals under 18 years old are prohibited from leaving their residences without a parent or guardian after 10pm, both for their safety and to deter them from gathering to commit crimes.

Locals in the area praised the police operation, expressing relief as repeated crimes had instilled fear. The gang’s random attacks, even targeting innocent people without provocation, had caused considerable concern among residents.

One major incident occurred on May 1 when the samurai sword gang attacked and killed an innocent Thai man. The deceased’s friends recounted that the gang followed them while they were riding a motorcycle home in the early hours of that day.

The gang then threw a ping pong bomb at their motorcycle, causing a friend to lose control of the vehicle. After the crash, the gang rushed to attack his friend with their samurai swords before fleeing the scene.

The man’s friends insisted that they had never experienced any conflict with the gang or anyone else. The deceased’s mother affirmed that her son was a good person who had relocated to work in Chiang Mai’s city centre to support his siblings’ education.

In a related report, three members of the samurai sword gang, aged 18, 17, and 14, were arrested yesterday, May 16, for their robbery spree and attacks in Chiang Mai. Their arrests were made after a recent samurai sword attack on two skateboarders aged 20.

A Muay Thai trainer recently shared that he and his friends were attacked by a group of Burmese men earlier this month. Fortunately, he and another friend were able to fight back and protect themselves with their Muay Thai skills.