Almost 100 street racers tossed in jail in huge Cha-Am/Hua Hin swoop

[rooster59]

Almost 100 street racers tossed in jail in huge Cha-Am/Hua Hin swoop

Image: Daily News

HUA HIN:-- In a move sure to please road users police and army teams swooped on a huge group of illegal street racing youths and threw them all in jail Saturday.

And the parents of the younger ones will also face charges for allowing their tearaways out on the streets, reports Daily News.

Hua Hin police chief Chaiyakorn Sriladecho said that local forces combined with army personnel from the Thanarat Fort to round up nearly a hundred youths some aged fifteen who had met to race on the Thap Tai - Huay Monkhol road on the Cha Am/Hua Hin border..

Many tried to escape but they were all rounded up. Some 59 boys aged 15-17 were trapped, along with 28 men 20 and over. And some 61 motorcycles were seized.

They face charges of racing on public highways causing danger and annoyance to the public that carries a prison term of up to three months and fines between 2,000 and 10,000 baht.

Parents of minors will also be charged with allowing their children to engage in risky and illegal behaviour.

Meanwhile in a second operation in Chonburi province around 100 police arrested a further 44 boys and girls under 18 for street racing on a bypass in the Nong Khang Khork to Ban Bung area, Thairath reported.

Some 82 bikes were seized after racers had taunted police on Facebook that "you can't catch us."

Parents will also face charges in connection with these arrests.

Source: Daily News

-- 2016-05-01

[ezzra]

The only measure that will deter them from racing again is not a few hours in detention, but lining

up a dozen motorcycles or so and go over them with a huge steamroller and flatten them to

a thin metal sheets..... I bet you most of the illegal racing will stop.....

[trogers]

But I had to mortgage my family land to buy my kids motorcycles... even when they are too young to get driving licenses!

[djjamie]

Set aside govt land and build a racing strip for them to do this on.

They will never stop it so the best thing to do is control it.

[JayBird]

A token punishment will not deter people like this. IF anything the costs will be a burden on society. They should consider tougher punishment (10 year ban from driving, mandatory community service for 2 years, etc).

The punishment should be even more severe in situations as this where there is no 'I needed money' or 'I was drunk' defense. They were publically and admittedly doing the wrong thing for pure fun.

[JayBird]

Set aside govt land and build a racing strip for them to do this on.

They will never stop it so the best thing to do is control it.

There is a racing track in Pattaya for motorbikes.

The people don't do this because there is no place to race.

They do this because they specifically want to block/race on that street.

It has nothing to do with sportsmanship or true racing. Only has to do with showing off and trying to control/block public roads.

[torpedo1970]

"fines between 2,000 and 10,000 baht." ??

They should add a zero or two to really deter but best of all if they confiscate and destroy any motorbike used in this.....

They soon run out of money to buy new bikes....

[ameadi]

Well done?

[sangfroid]

Make them take their shirts off...That'll teach them

[Monkeyrobot]

Confiscate there bikes or cars have them sold at auction and the proceeds go towards local hospitals or more street cameras.

[topt]

Meanwhile in a second operation in Chonburi province around 100 police arrested a further 44 boys and girls under 18 for street racing on a bypass in the Nong Khang Khork to Ban Bung area, Thairath reported.

Some 82 bikes were seized after racers had taunted police on Facebook that "you can't catch us."

Arrested 44 people but seized 82 bikes...........Thai maths?......................

[RichardColeman]

Sometimes I feel sorry for the police - they sometimes do the right thing, only to come up against a system imposing daft fines and prison terms.

[The Deerhunter]

Meanwhile in a second operation in Chonburi province around 100 police arrested a further 44 boys and girls under 18 for street racing on a bypass in the Nong Khang Khork to Ban Bung area, Thairath reported.

Some 82 bikes were seized after racers had taunted police on Facebook that "you can't catch us."

Arrested 44 people but seized 82 bikes...........Thai maths?......................

Perhaps they saw the cops had the road blocked and did a runner, literally, expecting to sneak back later for the bikes??? Oops, that didn't work, did it? Bikes arrested anyway! Damn!! Any explanation is possible and some of them may have some really imaginative explanations why their bikes were there and they were not TIT!

Edited May 1, 2016 by The Deerhunter

[carken]

Set aside govt land and build a racing strip for them to do this on.

They will never stop it so the best thing to do is control it.

Excellent dijamie

Way to sensible and intelligent solution for any

govt or authority figure to take seriously. And

I might add it's that way allover the world not

just in Thailand

[sanukjim]

Set aside govt land and build a racing strip for them to do this on.

They will never stop it so the best thing to do is control it.

Then there is the insurance problem concerning accidents..If somebody dies then it will be that the government's fought for being the track owner alowing under age drivers to race there.

[NoshowJones]

As for all the bikes that were seized, I hope they stay that way, but I would bet they will be given back to their scum owners and offspring.

[gandalf12]

Meanwhile in a second operation in Chonburi province around 100 police arrested a further 44 boys and girls under 18 for street racing on a bypass in the Nong Khang Khork to Ban Bung area, Thairath reported.

Some 82 bikes were seized after racers had taunted police on Facebook that "you can't catch us."

Arrested 44 people but seized 82 bikes...........Thai maths?......................

Perhaps they saw the cops had the road blocked and did a runner, literally, expecting to sneak back later for the bikes??? Oops, that didn't work, did it? Bikes arrested anyway! Damn!! Any explanation is possible and some of them may have some really imaginative explanations why their bikes were there and they were not TIT!

My bike has a mind of its own. I tell it not to go out but it wont listen to me. If I try to take the keys away it gets nasty and threatens to hit me. I am sorry your honour but I was drunk at the time of this happened

[mercman24]

looks like they have started doing this in Rama 4, (racing that is) once a week about 12-30/1 am a dozen or so of them, show up i can see from my balconey,they seem to do a circle as it all goes reasonably quiet, then i can see them come out of a junction to blaze up rama 4, the noise is tremendous,even though i do not live close by,its appears to be those silly little scooters with ear shattering exhausts.

[tuanku]

Set aside govt land and build a racing strip for them to do this on.

They will never stop it so the best thing to do is control it.

It being illegal is a big part of the thrill.

[tuanku]

Police seem to be getting better at this, less than usual escaped the net this time.

[wabothai]

Set aside govt land and build a racing strip for them to do this on.

They will never stop it so the best thing to do is control it.

There is a racing track in Pattaya for motorbikes.

The people don't do this because there is no place to race.

They do this because they specifically want to block/race on that street.

It has nothing to do with sportsmanship or true racing. Only has to do with showing off and trying to control/block public roads.

A quest for dating the sexiest girl in town.

[Gandtee]

It would seem that many TV posters have forgotten their youth. I am not condoning street racing, but didn't this happen in your locality in your youth? This is what some youths do when the sap is rising and they want show off infront of their mates. Motorbikes are their way of exercising a bit of freedom. Having said this, I still exclaim "Look at that stupid bastard". But then, I am 80 +.

[freedom4life]

The only measure that will deter them from racing again is not a few hours in detention, but lining

up a dozen motorcycles or so and go over them with a huge steamroller and flatten them to

a thin metal sheets..... I bet you most of the illegal racing will stop.....

Excellent...take them all outside and show them what happens when you race in public...have all their bikes lined-up and have a big truck run over a whole line of them..they can pick-up what remains are left of their bikes..let them spend money to fix them. Make sure all of them are on record...next time they get caught racing...their bike will be confiscated and sold-off or completely destroyed, in front of them. Your damn right that this will solve the issue pretty damn quick.

[nonagon]

I'm glad TV posters have no power. These are young guys trying to enjoy themselves. They may break some traffic laws. Ten year driving bans? Steam roll their bikes? Some of you have lost your minds when it comes to proportionate responses to traffic infractions. Mental.

[Bob12345]

The only measure that will deter them from racing again is not a few hours in detention, but lining

up a dozen motorcycles or so and go over them with a huge steamroller and flatten them to

a thin metal sheets..... I bet you most of the illegal racing will stop.....

Excellent...take them all outside and show them what happens when you race in public...have all their bikes lined-up and have a big truck run over a whole line of them..they can pick-up what remains are left of their bikes..let them spend money to fix them. Make sure all of them are on record...next time they get caught racing...their bike will be confiscated and sold-off or completely destroyed, in front of them. Your damn right that this will solve the issue pretty damn quick.

I am happy that the two of you are not working together writing laws.

Soon the whole group will be shot at the side of the road, followed by the death squat going after their relatives and loved ones.

Punishing harder is often not the solution. Just compare countries with "soft" punishments and countries with "hard" punishments and you will see that harder punishment not only fail to deter criminality, it will also result in higher law enforcement costs (large part of the population sitting in jail instead of working and paying tax).

[northernphil]

It would seem that many TV posters have forgotten their youth. I am not condoning street racing, but didn't this happen in your locality in your youth? This is what some youths do when the sap is rising and they want show off infront of their mates. Motorbikes are their way of exercising a bit of freedom. Having said this, I still exclaim "Look at that stupid bastard". But then, I am 80 +.

My older brother ( now 71 ) around the mid '60s had a BSA Gold Star ,he still likes to recall when he used to blast through the tunnel in Reigate ( anyone know it ) the sound of the exhaust reverberating off the walls , walking folk covering their ears. He now says " If I heard that noise today I would think hanging would be too good for the 'em ".

[lvr181]

The only measure that will deter them from racing again is not a few hours in detention, but lining

up a dozen motorcycles or so and go over them with a huge steamroller and flatten them to

a thin metal sheets..... I bet you most of the illegal racing will stop.....

Draconian but would work. And the positive side to this is a lift in the economy to providing replacement motorcycles (hopefully not to the same idiots and their parents).

Win win situation.

[talisman01]

I was in Malaysia recently where they have the same "problem" but there, instead of crackdowns swoops and arrests, the government has taken the opposite view to Thailand. The Malaysian government are considering allowing the Mat Rempits, as the racers are called, to race legally on the streets of KL. Maybe the Thai authorities should recall their own youth and try to turn the enthusiasm of these street racers into something positive.

http://paultan.org/2016/02/22/govt-to-allow-legalised-motorcycle-street-racing-in-kl/

[borrfors]

The only thing to solve this dangerous behaviour is to confiscate the bikes, and then sell them on a public auction. The money they get should go to Innocentius traffic victims rehabilitation. The racer should also be fined with a ban for driving a vehicle for at least a year and loss of their drivers licence. If they after that would like to apply for a new liucence they should have a mandatory traffic school for at least 3 moths.

In my home country of Sweden we have rather tuff traffic laws. Some examples: No alchohol in your blood when driving. Which is good, because you do not have to calculate how much booze you can drink before driving. If you want to drive, then don´t drink. Car checkup everey year for cars older than 5 year. Mandatory seatbelts. Big fines or loss of driving licence if you do not stop on a crossover for pedestrians. REAL traffic schools when tou want to take a licence. And these schools are tuff...and expensive,

That is why we have around 400 deaths in traffic each year on a population of 10 million in Sweden compared to Thailands close to 40 000 on a population of 67 million.

I think traffic laws are one of the most important laws we have because a majority of them are made to provent deaths in traffic. But recently you can read that Thailand slowly are starting to inpose more severe inforcement opf the traffic laws. Happy to read that, and hopefully less accidents and deaths in the future.

Edited May 1, 2016 by borrfors

[jacksam]

A token punishment will not deter people like this. IF anything the costs will be a burden on society. They should consider tougher punishment (10 year ban from driving, mandatory community service for 2 years, etc).

The punishment should be even more severe in situations as this where there is no 'I needed money' or 'I was drunk' defense. They were publically and admittedly doing the wrong thing for pure fun.

Most ridiculous post for the day. 10 year ban! Thanks judge judy