Gun battle at Songkran celebration in the north - residents flee in terror.

[rooster59 16,448]

Gun battle at Songkran celebration in the north - residents flee in terror.

Image: Thairath

KAMPHAENGPHET: Residents in downtown Kamphaengphet were picking up the pieces Friday after a gun and knife battle between two rival youth gangs caused mayhem at Songkran celebrations.

Police found at least twenty spent cartridges, broken bottles and smashed windows as they looked for evidence in the area between the Wat Sadej intersection and the Hotel Rachadamnern area in the downtown northern Thai town.

One girl, Surimas Kamonman, fled to a second floor bedroom as the fights intensified as the black shirted gangs attacked.

Three people were reported injured while roads in the area were closed off Friday as the clean up continued.

Surimas said: "Loads of people turned up all in black shirts. They were firing guns, using knives and throwing bottles. It was completely out of control."

She said she fled to a second floor room in her townhouse with a friend as the front windows both downstairs and upstairs were smashed in.

"We locked the bedroom door and wrapped ourselves in blankets to protect from flying glass," she added.

Police found ten spent cartridge casings on Thursday and another ten yesterday as the clean up continued. Officers say they are close on the tail of those responsible.

Source: Thairath

-- 2016-04-16

[clockman 8,974]

Nice peaceful Buddhists, This county lost its way along time ago.!

[fredob43 1,672]

All the suspects have been caught on Camera. Seems the black shirted mob were from out of town.

Took the Cops all 2 of them over an hours to get to the scene. The photo was taken on day two.

The way they are going in several weeks we might have a few detained allegedly.

[Lysdexic 94]

Nice peaceful Buddhists, This county lost its way along time ago.!

Because these few represent all of Thailand and further, all of Buddhism.

Got it.

[FarangRimPing 45]

It's only a couple of hundred meters from a police station.

There were 2 cops there when it all started and they ran away. They returned after it was all over.

The son of one of our close friends was grazed by one of the bullets.

Crazy

[biplanebluey 1,013]

So what do you want the cops to do--------- come out and shout at these young boys and endanger their own lives standing in the line of fire.Leave it for 24hrs and do a local house search---much safer

[camsouth 41]

i think the average cop here who has to buy his own stuff is sad , and low pay for what they risk. if that was in us swat would have been there in a flash and a lot of other cops . as well . here they know there will be little or no response to this kind of action . the police here are under funded, as a force. and i know all will say they make good behind closed doors . but the average beat cop ?

[quandow 6,580]

Are the cops pointing in the direction the bullets went?

[sabian 206]

Something similar happened here on the second day, I don't think weapons were involved but rival gangs kicked off as the free concert started, and to the credit of the local government and Army, they went straight in caught hold of them and closed the whole concert down in minutes, to the dismay of several thousand people who were there to have a genuinely good time, the gangs didn't look quite so cool once the crowd realised why their fun had suddenly stopped, they looked like scared little kids trying to get out of there as quick as they could be escorted to the paddy wagons. Next day no problems, it's the only way people learn, a sharp shock. You do this and this is the result.

[lvr181 4,286]

"...Officers say they are close on the tail of those responsible." Oh really? Or am I just a cynic? History CAN teach us.

[FarangRimPing 45]

Yap yap yap...is what I hear reading this. Same same.

So what do you want the cops to do--------- come out and shout at these young boys and endanger their own lives standing in the line of fire.Leave it for 24hrs and do a local house search---much safer

It would be nice if the cops helped protect the innocent bystanders. This was not out in the boondocks, it was in the center of the city.

About 5 years ago, not more than 100 meters from where this happened, we were in the middle of something similar. Picture a 4 lane road where the pickup trucks filled with people are not moving since everyone is water playing. A bottle was thrown, severely cutting one of the young lads. Out comes a gun and everyone scrambles for cover. Understand that the people playing water include many little kids. There were many hundreds of people in that section of road.

IMHO, the cops should try to prevent this from happening, and if something does happen, they should try to protect the innocents.

[Sealbash 1,099]

Nice peaceful Buddhists, This county lost its way along time ago.!

Where does it state their religion?

[Stray 338]

As long as there was no nipple exposure, everything is okay.

All other crimes will be looked into after Songkran is over.

[Mudcrab 2,770]

Yap yap yap...is what I hear reading this. Same same.

So what do you want the cops to do--------- come out and shout at these young boys and endanger their own lives standing in the line of fire.Leave it for 24hrs and do a local house search---much safer

It would be nice if the cops helped protect the innocent bystanders. This was not out in the boondocks, it was in the center of the city.

About 5 years ago, not more than 100 meters from where this happened, we were in the middle of something similar. Picture a 4 lane road where the pickup trucks filled with people are not moving since everyone is water playing. A bottle was thrown, severely cutting one of the young lads. Out comes a gun and everyone scrambles for cover. Understand that the people playing water include many little kids. There were many hundreds of people in that section of road.

IMHO, the cops should try to prevent this from happening, and if something does happen, they should try to protect the innocents.

How, exactly, should the cops prevent this from happening.

More the job of their parents to instill some values when they are being raised.

Not just in Thailand but world wide.

I recently read that in some parts of Los Angeles the life expectancy of someone on death row for a gang related murder was higher than if they were still on the streets in a gang.

[Kiwiken 1,533]

Clashes between Gangs is not just a Thai problem. Certainly does not dissuade me. There are a lot more good thai people than bad