Picture: Naew Na

 

Naew Na reported that Chiang Rai provincial police chief Pol Maj-Gen Chinwich Wichaithanaphat had met with gold shop owners to work on ways to stop robbery in the northern Thai province.

 

This came after one robbery in January in Ban Doo sub-district where 54 baht weight of jewelry was stolen then another on Saturday June 26th at the Pakor Ngiaw market when armed robbers took 114 baht weight of gold. 

 

In the latest case two men fled on a motorcycle and crossed the border to Tachilek with the loot and the gun. The driver of the bike waited until 30th June then sneaked back into Thailand. 

 

He borrowed a relative's pick-up on the pretext of taking his mother to the doctor's and headed back to Muang Chiang Rai.

 

On the way he was arrested and he has now admitted to being the driver in both the latest robbery and the one in January. 

 

He said he had a different accomplice on each occasion. 

 

The other suspect in the latest case, the gold and the gun are all still across the border, he claimed. 

 

-- © Copyright ASEAN NOW 2021-07-02

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

Armed guards with none lethal but highly effective weapons like tasers or other such stun-guns and the authority to use them .....

Or just stop having gold shops in open and vulnerable areas.

Invest in and install bullet proof glass barriers between staff and customers. Doors should be remotely lockable and fortified to prevent quick grab-and-dash escapes.

 

Customers walking around with bike helmets on are inherently suspicious. My mind boggles at the sight of staff naively serving such customers.