Tide of theft; kiln stash; knives aplenty; free feed

A laid-back lot

The canal path which the thieves took in their boat.

Brazen thieves in Samut Prakan exploited a rising tide to travel by boat and break into riverside houses, forcing open doors and taking valuables worth over 4 million baht.

The thieves broke into three homes in Na Kluea sub-district, Phra Samut Chedi district. So confident were they about not getting caught that they even switched on the air con at one place and helped themselves to drinks from the fridge.

The thieves made off with cash and Buddha images, said Pol Lt Sarawut Sermklin, deputy inspector (investigation) of Ban Khlong Suan police. He received reports of multiple break-ins in Village 5 of the district’s Ban Sakla community.

The first place, belonging to Sarayut (no surname given), 38, is a single-storey raised wooden house. Beneath the house, on the muddy ground, footprints were visible, and muddy footprints also marked the steps.

The wooden front door had been forced with a screwdriver, breaking the padlock. Inside, belongings were scattered about.

Stolen items included wristwatches, old coins, collectible banknotes, and amulets with a total value over 50,000 baht.

Sarayut, a Buddha amulet trader with a shop in the Phra Pradaeng amulet market, said no one lived in the house permanently, and he only visited occasionally.

His younger sister, who returned to collect a watch for their father in Lampang, discovered the break-in.

The thief likely took advantage of the high tide to bring a boat to the back of the house, slipped through the underfloor space, and stole the goods.

What infuriated him most was that the culprit coolly turned on a fan and the bedroom air-conditioner, and drank two bottles of water from the fridge.

The second house was a three-storey wooden place belonging to 85-year-old twin sisters.

The intruder forced open the back door and stole items from the second and third floors: two 12cm Luang Pho To Buddha images, a medium-sized safe, over 100 collectible antique coins, six CCTV cameras, two old silver betel sets, more than 20 gold rings, and 30 amulets — worth over 40,000 baht.

Phayao, 85, said she and her twin sister had been staying in Muang district since July, at their niece’s request, for easier care and medical visits.

When they returned to clean the house, they found the back door pried open and valuables taken, including the six CCTV cameras installed around the house.

The third house belongs to a former university lecturer. The intruder stole 30 baht-weight of gold jewellery, a diamond set, cash, collectible coins and banknotes, and amulets, worth over 3 million baht.

Police believe the thieves were locals familiar with the homeowners’ routines. They likely worked in pairs or more, targeting houses along the canal, and used boats to approach during high tide. Investigations are underway to track them down.

Roughing it by the coal kiln

The drug dealer is caught at his forest shelter.

A man in Phetchaburi chose an odd place to deal drugs: a small shelter deep inside woodland, from where he dispensed drugs to local teens.

He was caught red-handed by the “Pachada” special police unit from Cha-Am district, who heard about his exploits.

Pol Col Apirak Permchai, chief of Cha-Am police, nabbed Sawat (surname withheld), 31, from Photharam district in Ratchaburi.

They seized 4,407 ya ba pills and 38.69 grammes of ya ice from Sawat, which he secreted at a charcoal kiln shelter in a dense forest.

Sawat was living at the shelter in village 10 of Khao Yai sub-district. He was a “low-level drug agent” distributing narcotics to local youths. When officers approached he tried to flee but was caught.

A search turned up the crystal meth in his shoulder bag, and the shelter was found to contain many meth pills.

Sawat admitted the drugs were his. A woman in the village, known as Ying (no other details given), tossed meth pills near the entrance of an alley for him to collect and store.

He would get phone calls informing him where to deliver or sell the meth. He also sold crystal meth to customers. Sawat had been arrested once previously in Hua Hin district, Prachuap Khiri Khan province. Police charged him and are looking for “Ying” and other network members.

Well-armed nutter

Sawang is nabbed after stabbing a neighbour to death.

A Khon Kaen man known to be suffering from mental illness and carrying three knives stabbed a neighbour to death, claiming the victim was partly responsible for his divorce.

A local hospital later confirmed he had not been taking his prescribed medication.

Ban Fang police nabbed the suspect, Sawang (no surname gven), 56, after he stabbed his neighbour Khoe (no surname given), 68, in Ban Lao sub-district.

The suspect was walking about holding a knife. Police identified themselves, ordered him to drop the weapon, and took him into custody. They seized from Sawang a short pointed knife about a handspan long. A bloodstained machete was also found, and a hooked machete with a wooden handle.

Sawang, who had been carrying all three weapons, admitted stabbing Khoe out of resentment, believing he had contributed to his divorce. A urine test found no illegal drugs.

Later, Ban Fang Hospital told police that Khoe had died from his injuries. Inquiries revealed that Sawang lived alone, suffered from a psychiatric illness, and had been admitted to psychiatric hospitals multiple times. However, he did not take medication as prescribed. He was charged with murder.

Content still pays well

The Cambodia influencer and below, the food he bought for the troops.

A Cambodian influencer is prospering amid the border crisis, even if ordinary traders are finding it tough.

Thai news outlets ran images of a young Cambodian influencer, unnamed in reports, who bought roast pig, roast duck, and side dishes to treat Cambodian soldiers at a frontline base.

This was to thank them for letting him film content from their daily lives — earning the influencer over $57,530, or about 2,094,360 baht.

On Aug 13, the Facebook page “Army Military Force” hailed the meal. Accompanying images show the young influencer seated in front of the troops. 

It also shows simple food in white styrofoam boxes, alongside more elaborate fare such as a roast pig in a box, and pork being cooked in racks over coal stoves.

Meanwhile, news reports say border trade between the two countries has fallen precipitously, with losses estimated to be as high as 500 million baht per month in some northeastern provinces.

Prior to the breakout in hostilities, monthly border trade averaged around 10 billion baht, with a big share occurring through eastern checkpoints. Lt Gen Boonsin Padklang, commander of the Second Army Region, said on Thursday his forces were not ready to reopen the border just yet.