Chiang Mai authorities in northern Thailand are sounding the alarm over teenage gangs committing heinous crimes.
The police are targeting 17 gangs and monitoring them to prevent them from causing further damage.
Teenage gangs have become a hot topic on Thai social media after the Chiang Mai provincial police published information on 17 teenage gangs causing chaos in the province.
The Chiang Mai Juvenile Detention Center reports that many youth gangs have physically harmed their rivals, particularly the Ban Bang gang, which is being closely monitored.
Thoetthum Adisaidechrin, Director of the Chiang Mai Observation and Protection Center for Minors, stated:
“Over the past three years, there has been an increase in crimes committed by young people.”.
Most juvenile delinquents who enter detention have caused physical harm to others, such as attacking an opponent with a knife, fighting, and attempted murder.
According to statistics from the country's juvenile detention centers, most delinquents are drug addicts, but in Chiang Mai, there are more young people committing assaults than drug addicts
According to him, many young delinquents suffer from mental health problems, lack of patience, selfishness, and an attitude of wanting a high income without working.
Their highest level of education is around Mathayom 3 (equivalent to 9th grade in France).
It is difficult to solve the problem of youth gangs in Chiang Mai, because behavioral correction and rehabilitation must comply with the period ordered by the court, which is only 3 to 6 months.
See: Shocking crimes committed by teenagers spark debate in Thailand
At the end of their detention, they are released back into their original environment.
Thawatchai Phongwiwatchai, Chiang Mai Provincial Police Commander, spoke to the newspaper Thairath about the measures taken to control the operations of teenage gangs that cause fights and create unrest in various regions of Chiang Mai Province.
He stated that gatherings of teenagers in Chiang Mai Province, who ride motorcycles, cause incidents and assault people, continue to instill fear among the population.
Although the police have taken decisive action by arresting and prosecuting them, it appears that there are still many groups of teenagers gathering.
The police plan to take strict measures to register and closely monitor these youth gangs in order to deter behaviors that pose a threat to society and ensure public safety.
The 17 gangs in Chiang Mai under investigation
The leader of the samurai gang was arrested by the police on May 16, 2024.
1. Ban Bang Gang, which has around 25 members, has already committed assaults and thefts in the area of the Chang Phueak and San Kamphaeng police stations.
Currently, the group leader and some of its members have been prosecuted.
2. So Hot Gang (Hang Dong district), around 12 members in the group are currently being monitored for any potential group gathering.
3. Son Joe Rising Star Gang (San Sai district), around 13 members, who have already committed murders in the area of the Mae Jo police station.
The leader and members of the group are currently being held in prison.
4. Pha Taek Gang (Mae Jo area, San Sai district), whose gathering place is uncertain, about 14 members, who have already caused a fight in Tha Pae Square on January 7, 2024.
Currently, 7 members are being held in a juvenile detention center.
5. Madam Gang (Black Dog), about 14 members, who have already caused a fight in Tha Pae Square in December 2023.
The group's leader is currently in prison.
6. Black Lotus Gang, which has about 14 members, has already caused a fight in the Tha Pae area and at the Doi Saket police station.
The group's leader is currently in prison.
7. SPT Gang, gathering place in San Pa Tong district, counting about 7 members, is currently under surveillance and control.
8. HR San Pa Tong Gang, which has 13 members, on February 1, 2024, a member of this gang used a firearm to kill someone in Lamphun province.
Some members are currently in prison.
9. TM Doi Lo Gang, gathering place at Doi Lo, San Pa Tong, Pa Sang, counting about 22 members, is currently under surveillance and control.
10. Fa Ham Gang, which has about 10 members, is currently under group surveillance and control.
11. RUUFFIAN Gang is considered a senior gang, that is, older.
It has about 9 members, with no history of acting out.
12. Dao-Rai gang has around 30 members. On April 27, 2024, they robbed 5 people in the area of Phu Ping Kracha Niwet police station.
Currently, 5 members are in a juvenile detention center.
13. Bungalow gang, currently 9 members are under surveillance and control.
14. Anachi Gang, about 20 members are under surveillance and control.
15. PMG Saraphi gang, meeting place: Chiang Mai-Lamphun Road (Ton Yang Road).
16. Phra Nakhon Nuea gang (Doi Saket District), currently under surveillance and control.
17. Phra Nakhon Nuea gang (Doi Saket District), Group 2, about 10 members are currently under surveillance and control.
The samurai gang is not on the list, this gang had committed sword attacks, injuring and killing Thais and tourists in Chiang Mai at the beginning of this year.
See: Thailand: a gang of criminal teenagers sow terror in Chiang Mai
See also:
14-year-old killer: Thailand must lower the age of criminal responsibility
Outrage in Thailand: the perpetrator of the shooting is too young to be punished
Theft of tourists by transsexual pickpockets continues in Thailand
A Vietnamese gang was stealing from tourists in a famous Thai temple
Russian gangsters kidnap a couple of foreigners in Phuket, Thailand
The problem of gangster police in Thailand
Source: CNT News
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7 comments
This gives us a total of around 120 to 130 offenders, 90% of whom are minors under the age of 18 and probably some of them are under 14, who, under current laws, cannot be held criminally responsible and are therefore not detained or convicted.
Of this good hundred, about 20% are currently in prison, the other 80% are free and multiply their misdeeds at random in their raids and motorized assaults…
The Chiang Mai police cannot afford the slightest laxity or relaxation in terms of surveillance and repression measures on these gangs of adolescents who constitute the ideal breeding ground for creating adult personalities ready for gratuitous violence, the full range of organized crime, from theft to murder…
If they were content to kill each other among members of competing gangs, it would be a lesser evil, without obviously being a medium or long-term solution…
But that's not even the case and unfortunately, any citizen of Chiang Mai can have the misfortune of crossing paths with them on their road and paying the financial, physical and psychological consequences.
The fight against the very existence of these gangs of criminals must be a constant and daily priority if the police do not want to be overtaken by events and the proliferation of crimes that would lead the law enforcement to no longer be able to control the situation, and make certain areas of Chiang Mai lawless zones in the hands of increasingly large gangs controlling, in particular, arms and drug trafficking…
Putting them out of harm's way, when each gang has a maximum of 15 to 20 offenders, is possible by adopting a zero-tolerance repressive line from now on…
It will be another difficulty if the authorities let these groups inflate their numbers to reach several hundred!!!
Matayom 3 corresponds to the 3rd year in France.
Matayom 4, 5, 6 correspond to the second, first, and final years.
Sincerely.
Thank you Franck, we have corrected the article.
@HANSSON I agree with your comment, but at the same time, are we well placed to lecture the Thais on the matter, when we see what's happening on French soil?
Giving lessons, no... certainly not, J.P, when we actually see the development of urban or rural delinquency in our European countries..
It's a necessary fight and a struggle that cannot be taken lightly and must be a priority, this delinquent youth of today being the breeding ground for criminals, murderers, rapists, assassins and serial killers of tomorrow.
This is an additional reason to encourage Thai authorities to make the right choices, not to neglect and underestimate the importance and severity of the problem and to act before it's too late and becomes unmanageable.
This country should take example from El Salvador where they don't mess around with gangs.
One can always dream…
Ultimately, it's like in France, gangs, yakuza assaults, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Phuket, etc.