Picture courtesy of Workpoint.

 

A disturbing incident in Rayong has left local residents questioning police procedures after a man high on glue set fire to a local grocery store, only for officers to refuse to take an official complaint and instead promise to move the suspect elsewhere.

 

The incident occurred early morning, at a small grocery shop near the S-Land intersection in Hat Suan Son, Klaeng Subdistrict, Mueang District. CCTV footage captured a man dressed in black, holding a bag of glue and a lit cigarette, approaching the store. He used a lighter to ignite a mesh screen used to enclose the front of the shop before walking away casually.

 

Mrs. Jaruwan, 50, the shop owner, explained that she had been asleep in the house behind the shop with her sister and brother-in-law when someone shouted that the store was on fire. She ran out to discover the mesh burning, but luckily, a couple of good Samaritans helped extinguish the flames before they could spread further.

 

She immediately contacted the local police station in Ban Phe, but officers declined to record an official report. Instead, they said they would simply remove the suspect from the area. “I was confused,” said Mrs. Jaruwan. “If they just take him away, won’t he come back? I’m scared and anxious all the time now. What if no one had seen the fire? Why is this allowed to continue?”

 

Her brother-in-law, Mr. Thanayut, 45, added that the man is a known glue-sniffer who frequents abandoned buildings in the area. “I’ve been running this shop for four years and he’s always been around causing trouble,” he said. “Before setting fire to our shop, he even set fire to municipal rubbish bins – they had to be moved to avoid further damage.”

 

Despite repeated attempts to formally report the incident, the police allegedly only gave verbal assurances that they would remove the man from the neighbourhood.

 

The family is now pleading with authorities to take stronger action, warning that continued inaction could lead to greater losses or even loss of life. “If he comes back and sets another fire, and someone gets hurt or worse, who will take responsibility?” asked Mr. Thanayut.

 

The incident has sparked outrage among locals, who say more needs to be done to address public safety and ensure mentally unstable or substance addicted individuals receive proper treatment, rather than being shifted from one area to another.

 

 

-- 2025-04-17

 

This is a disgusting attitude from the police, why are they even police officers if not willing to serve & protect.

2 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

She immediately contacted the local police station in Ban Phe, but officers declined to record an official report. Instead, they said they would simply remove the suspect from the area.

So, know we know that the perp is a family member of a high ranked police officer.

He probably was poor so there was nothing in it for them no extortion

Another nail in the coffin of RTP's reputation.  Thailand will always be a 3rd World country until they reform the police.

2 hours ago, Geoffggi said:

This is a disgusting attitude from the police, why are they even police officers if not willing to serve & protect.

 

Here, it seems to be 'serve and collect' 

6 hours ago, Geoffggi said:

why are they even police officers if not willing to serve & protect.

 

Its'just an occupation wich they hold due to the money they paid for it, nothing else.

There is a reason why the police here are so universally disregarded and disrespected and considered to be fairly useless. 

 

The RTP at it's inception seems to have been created with a status quo from the government. We will NOT pay you a living wage, but you have a franchise, and the limit of your income is based solely on your own creativity and initiative, and you will always be protected. Is that not the case? So, why would they pay attention to a case where there is no money to be made? 

 

Are they out finding government officials who are engaged in massive corruption, drug trafficking or sex slavery? No. Why? Because those goons are protected. 

 

Are they patrolling the highways to find reckless drivers? No. Why? Because they do not care one iota about traffic safety. It is all lip service.

I bet if it was 7-11 store he set fire to, instead of a local grocery, the cops would have acted and taken the report and followed it up.