Chiang Mai Police Round Up Teenage Gun Gang

[george]

Chiang Mai police round up teenage gun gang

CHIANG MAI: -- Police in Thailand's northern city of Chiang Mai today arrested four youths who have been terrorising local residents by shooting indiscriminately at passers-by.

Mr. San Yarangfan, aged 20, along with three other young men aged 18-20, are said to have driven around Chiang Mai and its outlying on motorcycles, training their guns on local residents.

Over the past month, six people have been killed or injured as a result of the gang's activities.

According to Pol. Lt. Gen. Phanuphong Singra Na Ayutthaya, commissioner of the Provincial Police Region 5, all the suspects are drug addicts, and engaged in their shooting sprees for 'a bit of fun'.

Police, who are blaming the youths' parents for poor supervision of their offspring, are now trying to arrest a final member of the gang who managed to escape.

--TNA 2005-06-02

[Ajarn]

Well, I hope they will also give some blame to these ADULTS who shot and killed people.

[jackr]

Bring the firing squad back, hanging's to easy for em.

[AsiaWolfie]

wow 6 been killed within the past few months.......thats scary....is it Brooklyn, Baghdad or Chiang Mai ? but hey, JACKR, do you think anybody needs your stupid narrowminded comments ? so disgusting.....

[jackr]

wow 6 been killed within the past few months.......thats scary....is it Brooklyn, Baghdad or Chiang Mai ? but hey, JACKR, do you think anybody needs your stupid narrowminded comments ? so disgusting.....

:D

It's a public forum...troll!

I think you should re-read the clipping.

Yeah, it's sad that these kids have been left to roam around and get up to all kinds of mischief due to parental inadequacies etc, but what about the real victims?

You're one of these pissant doogooders by the sounds of it, who would probably let these freaks off with a slapped wrist to potentially go around and shoot more innocent people, perhaps even kids. I personally don't want my family in the firing line and I'm positive you'd change your tune if you were on the receiving.

[JXXXL]

Had anyone heard of these shootings prior to the announcement of the arrests? These drive by shootings are unbelievable and, I would think, very sensational considering six people were murdered in one month. I'm just surprised this is the first time I heard about this. I mentioned this story to some Thai friends and they hadn't heard of it either.

[maerim]

Had anyone heard of these shootings prior to the announcement of the arrests?

I for one had not nor had anyone else I know I think it is a disgrace that a bunch of murderers can run around without it being reported.

Why not, bad for tourism? Not as bad I would have thought a being shot by a ride by shooter.

In the Pattaya forum there is s thread about over reporting of crime, perhaps we can do a swap?

[AsiaWolfie]

I think this topic should be moved to the THAILAND NEWS CLIPPING so everybody can (or HAS TO) read it......its an unbelievable story indeed.....and send it to the travel agents anywhere in the world.....

[Nordlys]

wow 6 been killed within the past few months.......thats scary....is it Brooklyn, Baghdad or Chiang Mai ?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I didn't feel unsafe walking in Brooklyn.

Maybe you're confused with Bronx.

And jackr's confused hanging with lethal injection?

[Ajarn]

Reminds me of the long-time gang around here called the Samurai Gang... Many were/are kids of highly-placed police and government officials, and their thing was to ride around and slash people with swords... Starting in the 1980's, and continuing to as recently as last year, when they took over the intersection of Mae Jo road and the Super, slashing at passing motorcyclists, causing serious injuries to over a dozen people, as I recall...

Only non-farang, though. And never any word in the English press that I'm aware of until this occurrence above happened... Though my Thai friends have been seeing reports of this gang for many years in the local Thai press.

[ovenman]

Had anyone heard of these shootings prior to the announcement of the arrests?  These drive by shootings are unbelievable and, I would think, very sensational considering six people were murdered in one month.  I'm just surprised this is the first time I heard about this.  I mentioned this story to some Thai friends and they hadn't heard of it either.

Indeed, when you consider that the sniper shootings in the Washington DC area a few years back were world news, not merely domestic news in the United States.

[AsiaWolfie]

were there any postings in here in the past about this Samurai gang ? A Singapore friend of mine, based in CM, told me he knew about this gang before....so there must be some newspaper reports that might have been posted here in the forum as well.....

[ovenman]

were there any postings in here in the past about this Samurai gang ? A Singapore friend of mine, based in CM, told me he knew about this gang before....so there must be some newspaper reports that might have been posted here in the forum as well.....

There was an article about them in the Bangkok Post a year or two ago. If I remember correctly, it was stated that the roots of the Samurai gang actually goes back to the 1950's.

[Ajarn]

were there any postings in here in the past about this Samurai gang ? A Singapore friend of mine, based in CM, told me he knew about this gang before....so there must be some newspaper reports that might have been posted here in the forum as well.....

There was an article about them in the Bangkok Post a year or two ago. If I remember correctly, it was stated that the roots of the Samurai gang actually goes back to the 1950's.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Maybe they saw Brando in 'The Wild One' (1953), too

[ThaiPauly]

Me too! never heard of any of this stuff, I feel safe walking the streets of CM far more so than my home City of Oxford, maybee I would think twice about it now.

Very upsetting news indeed.

[ovenman]

On the whole, Chiang Mai is pretty safe as are most Thai cities. On the other hand, one doesn't get a sense of the level of daily crime across Thailand, both petty and otherwise, as the English-language press pretty much sticks to reporting stories about the government. Pick up the Bangkok Post or the Nation most days and one would think that the only newsworthy things going on in Thailand are government-related.