Almost 100 street racers arrested, Facebook pages closed

BANGKOK: Almost 100 motorcycle racers, both adults and teenagers, were arrested and 71 modified motorcycles confiscated in a crackdown operation on daek waen racing on public streets in Bangkok in the early hours of Saturday.

Pol Maj Gen Surachet Hakpan, acting deputy chief of the Tourist Police Bureau, announces the arrest of 96 street racers in Bangkok's Klong Toey district during a media briefing. A user of a Facebook page for street racing was also caught and his page closed, bringing to 57 the total number of closed Facebook pages for the iillegal activity. Photo: Screengrab from a video clip from the Tourism Police Bureau's Facebook page

Police arrested 96 racers, including 45 men and 51 teenagers, some of them under 13 years old, in front of Tesco Lotus store’s Rama IV Road in Klong Toey at around 2.30am, Thai media reported on Saturday.

All were taken for urine tests. Seven of them – four teens and three adults – tested positive for drug use. A total of 71 motorcycles were seized, said Pol Maj Gen Surachet Hakpan, acting deputy chief of the Tourist Police Bureau, during a media briefing.

In a separate incident, police arrested Rittikrai “Benz’’ Khomsan, 21, who owns the "Suasing Danlo" Facebook page in front of a housing estate in Samut Prakan’s Bang Phli district, said Pol Maj Gen Surachet.

The page, which had 1,500 followers, was created for street racers to join the races on dates set by Mr Rittikrai.

The suspect was held in police custody at Min Buri police station to face charges of supporting other people in committing the offence of racing on public streets.

So far, a total of 47 Facebook pages created for street racing have been closed and 47 administrators of the pages caught, said Pol Maj Gen Surachet.

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