The commander of Provincial Police Region 5 announced the arrest of a gang of teenagers in Chiang Mai who attacked and slashed an young man and a teenager with machetes, they mistook for members of a rival gang.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Kritthapol Yisakorn, commander of Provincial Police Region 5, said on August 11, officers from the Saraphi Police Station in Chiang Mai were notified of an incident in which a group of teenagers assaulting people in Tambon Chomphu, Amphoe Saraphi.
Mr. Watcharaphon, aged 20, and Mr. Kittisak, aged 14, both from Chiang Rai Province, were injured and had to undergo surgery at Maharaj Nakhon Chiang Mai Hospital.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Kritthaphon said police officers investigated the incident and tracked down the perpetrators, who were a group of teenagers who part of the Yaowarat gang in Mueang Lamphun District of Chiang Mai.
The information given by the victims on the physical characteristics of the assailants matched that of Mr. Watcharaphan or Bas, who is the leader of the Yaowarat gang, who has a history with police and had been arrested several times.
They tracked down Mr. Watcharaphan, and he admitted under interrogation that his gang had met on the Chiang Mai-Lampang Road and prepared knives and homemade ping-pong bombs to go out and physically harm a rival Gang.
As they gathered at Saraphi Intersection, Mr. Watcharaphon and Mr. Kittisak rode past them on a motorcycle. Believing they were from the rival gang, they followed them on motorcycles until they reached Chomphu Subdistrict, Saraphi District, Chiang Mai Province.
They then split into 2 groups: the first attacked Mr. Watcharaphon, and the second attacked Mr. Kittisak hacking at them from their motorcycles with machetes.
They hacked at them with with machetes and threw ping-pong bombs at them, injuring Mr. Watcharaphon and Mr. Kittisak severely. They then fled on their motorcycles.
Mr. Wutthaphan and eight of his gang members were arrested and charged with premeditated murder, jointly causing physical harm to others resulting in physical harm and serious harm with premeditated premeditated, and jointly carrying weapons openly in Chiang Mai city.
There charges carry a maximum penalty of imprisonment of 15 to 20 years in prison according to the Criminal Code, Sections 80, 210, 288, 294, 295, and 371. Pol. Lt. Gen. Kritthaphon said the public needs to keep an eye out and if they see any gangs of teenagers, they should report them to the police at any time.
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Geoff Thomas is an award winning journalist known for his sharp insights and no-nonsense reporting style. Over the years he has worked for Reuters and the Canadian Press covering everything from political scandals to human interest stories. He brings a clear and direct approach to his work.
