Thailand catches 117 after jailbreak

BANGKOK: -- Twenty-three Thai juveniles were on the loose Friday after 140 young inmates broke out of a detention centre in Bangkok, with police rounding up most of them by daybreak, officials said.

"We have re-arrested 117 of them now and 23 others are still at large," an official at the Ban Metta Remand Home said.

The detained youths were frustrated with the strict searches for drugs, weapons, or instruments that could be used to facilitate their escape from the centre, the official said.

Newspaper reports said several of the youths threw stones at passing cars before dispersing.

The centre houses detainees from seven to 18 years of age but most are late teens serving sentences mainly for drugs or robbery.

In late March Thailand ushered into effect a nationwide night-time curfew for all youths under 18 in an effort to curb mounting criminal violence, drug use and the roaming of red-light districts.

Rather than being strictly enforced, the curfew was seen as a tool for authorities to deal with trouble-makers in night-life districts.

--AFP 2004-06-04

Popped in to khaosan road last night to see some artist friends. It was pretty devoid of life. Apparently people are now not allowed to sell on the street after 11pm in a bid to curb Thai teenagers fighting.

The bars the falang use were mostly empty but the thai bars and discos still full. It dosn't occur to the police that if they want to curb fighting by Thai teenagers then just mabe it's better to sort out the discos and thai bars, rather than pick on the poor street sellers who lets face it, have absolutely nothing to do with the problem whatsoever.

Popped in to khaosan road last night to see some artist friends. It was pretty devoid of life. Apparently people are now not allowed to sell on the street after 11pm in a bid to curb Thai teenagers fighting.

The bars the falang use were mostly empty but the thai bars and discos still full. It dosn't occur to the police that if they want to curb fighting by Thai teenagers then just mabe it's better to sort out the discos and thai bars, rather than pick on the poor street sellers who lets face it, have absolutely nothing to do with the problem whatsoever.

Logic never was a major feature of the bureacratic mind hereabouts as well you know. T i T

Doh I forgot there for a mo Dr PP