Lightning raid on Bangkok minivans - drivers look like they are going to war

Image: Daily News

BANGKOK: Nearly 200 police and soldiers swooped on minivans in the Victory Monument area Friday arresting dozens and finding an incredible cache of weapons.

A total of seventy five items were found including knives, axes, clubs, a baseball bat, a gun and bullets and drugs. Thirty seven drivers were arrested and their vehicles impounded.

Leading the huge raid was acting police chief Sanit Mahathavorn who was pictured strutting with some of the weaponry his team managed to uncover.

The lightening raid struck at nine separate places where minivans offer services around the busy monument in the Rachathewee area of downtown Bangkok.

Some 160 vans were searched and the following was found:

28 knives of varying sizes
2 axes
3 metal clubs
1 baseball bat
1 9mm gun and 8 bullets
2 bags of krathom leaves

In addition two drivers were positive for drugs in urine tests.

Sanit said that it was widely known that drivers of minivans, lorries and taxis were carrying weapons and causing trouble. Recent dash cam footage has shown this, he said. Serious damage was being caused by this behavior to both society and the economy.

Drivers caught with knives were fined 1,000 baht while the person caught with a gun could face up to ten years. Those caught with a purple urine test for drugs would have further analysis done at a hospital to determine what they took. Vehicles seized would be kept for seven days.

Source: Daily News

-- 2016-07-09

What no attitude adjustments?

Apart from the gun and drugs a lot of taxi van drivers around the world carry some sort of hidden weapon for protection.

As long as it's for self defence I've got no problem with this at all.

Obviously the guy with the gun was team, never bring a knife to a gunfight.

And these drivers ship us every day,......... wow.............

Policeman holding the sword loves having his photo taken.

Many times i have seen him when they are showing wrong doers.

weeding out the competition

Will he be happy when he gets nabbed and his buddies pose in photo op?

Thai culture. Never gonna change.

15 years for gun that can kill

1,000THB fine for knife that can kill

That sounds like a reasonable balanced deterant........NOT

I suspect these drivers were former students of those infamous vocational institues...or fathers of such students!

I suspect these drivers were former students of those infamous vocational institues...or fathers of such students!

what an incredibly bigoted and racist comment to make. You just love to stereotype don't you, it's something you do frequently.

So back on the roads in a week with new ' equipment ' ?

And these drivers ship us every day,......... wow.............

...sometimes at 180 km/h on the tollway

Seems to me the safest place to be would be with a van driver!!!!

Except for the drugs you could any of that stuff in any one of my cars.....

I'd want a weapon too with those nuts out on the roads!

I suspect these drivers were former students of those infamous vocational institues...or fathers of such students!

what an incredibly bigoted and racist comment to make. You just love to stereotype don't you, it's something you do frequently.

Holier than thou?

If this is the start of something real, great. But it looks like little more than (pun intended) saber rattling by publicity starved agents of "we aren't changing anything".

Let me develop a program to bring things under control. By the time they run through mine, 75%+ of the current driver pool (a few are good) would be back home with no opportunity to ever again chauffeur. Those who make it through the first stage (re)qualification gauntlet will be subject to regular spot checks that include sobriety, drug, personality profile, and driver skills tests every year to hold their license. Every driver will be forced to enter a checkpoint as they begin their shift.

OK, waking up from my dream state. Sorry.

How do they know that a baseball bat is a weapon?

I carry a knife everywhere, very handy, but I don't consider it a weapon, it is a very handy tool.

Surely these guys must have shown some aggression with these so called weapons to actually call them weapons. Otherwise kids going to baseball should also be arrested for carrying their Louisville slugger.

How do they know that a baseball bat is a weapon?

I carry a knife everywhere, very handy, but I don't consider it a weapon, it is a very handy tool.

Surely these guys must have shown some aggression with these so called weapons to actually call them weapons. Otherwise kids going to baseball should also be arrested for carrying their Louisville slugger.

Depends on the knife but im not sure your allowed to carry a knife here on yourself. Where i come from you are allowed to carry a knife as long as the blade is not above a certain length.

The lightening raid

-- 2016-07-09

Indeed

'Kamakazi' drivers must be under too much pressure to speed. Probably the faster the deliver- the more money they hope to make. As long as they dont have an accident, I guess they would.

More strict road rule enforcement would fix the problem too.

Some 160 vans were searched and the following was found:

28 knives of varying sizes
2 axes
3 metal clubs
1 baseball bat
1 9mm gun and 8 bullets
2 bags of krathom leaves

This coupled with "drivers look like they are going to war."

REALLY? With whom, a bunch of grandmothers. And even then they would lose for sure.

And these drivers ship us every day,......... wow.............

...sometimes at 180 km/h on the tollway

We're driving around with these every day criminals with mental illness pass, who can lose their temper any time like a ticking random time bomb

Need to check out the taxi driver's next. There's more than enough cause to do so...

How do they know that a baseball bat is a weapon?

I carry a knife everywhere, very handy, but I don't consider it a weapon, it is a very handy tool.

Surely these guys must have shown some aggression with these so called weapons to actually call them weapons. Otherwise kids going to baseball should also be arrested for carrying their Louisville slugger.

How do they know a baseball bat carried in a minivan is a weapon?

Yeah we all know the drivers are into major league, that or it's used for adjusting the engine valve clearances.

15 years for gun that can kill

1,000THB fine for knife that can kill

That sounds like a reasonable balanced deterant........NOT

Exactly what crossed my mine.

The UK has less of a problem with guns but knives are a big problem so the Government started to get tough after realising they are deadly weapons (dohh!). So, now if you get caught carrying a knife in the UK you can face up to 5 years in the slammer.\

If it was 20 pound fine (1000 baht) I think every gang member in London would be wearing them slung to their hips in full view..

A rethink is needed I believe

So They are Called Mini Vans I thought they where flying Coffins My Bag

15 years for gun that can kill

1,000THB fine for knife that can kill

That sounds like a reasonable balanced deterant........NOT

Exactly what crossed my mine.

The UK has less of a problem with guns but knives are a big problem so the Government started to get tough after realising they are deadly weapons (dohh!). So, now if you get caught carrying a knife in the UK you can face up to 5 years in the slammer.\

If it was 20 pound fine (1000 baht) I think every gang member in London would be wearing them slung to their hips in full view..

A rethink is needed I believe

Well, I am absolutely amused to see you comparing UK with Thailand. Same bunch of morons

a great action. well done.

this 'catch' highlights serious risks both travellers

and other road users are exposed to travelling in mini vans. rub the driver on the wrong side

for any reason and you may see a blade of knife,sword or axe or even the nozzle

of a gun staring at your face.

yet the operators of mini van need some defence equipment too.regulate acceptable

weapon, or a range thereof which the drivers may carry on board for their own security.

also regulate the mini van industry as an alternate public transport option.

mini vans are a popular mode of transport as existing public network is not adequately

efficient.

a great action. well done.

this 'catch' highlights serious risks both travellers

and other road users are exposed to travelling in mini vans. rub the driver on the wrong side

for any reason and you may see a blade of knife,sword or axe or even the nozzle

of a gun staring at your face.

yet the operators of mini van need some defence equipment too.regulate acceptable

weapon, or a range thereof which the drivers may carry on board for their own security.

also regulate the mini van industry as an alternate public transport option.

mini vans are a popular mode of transport as existing public network is not adequately

efficient.

A cam covering the interior of the van is good defence, unless you are a rouge driver...