Teen Theft at Chon Buri Gas Station: Thanaphong Jaiboon’s Plea for Justice

In the wee hours of July 13, five audacious teenagers, known in local parlance as dek waen, were caught on CCTV stirring up trouble at a gas station on Highway 331, headed towards Chachoengsao in Moo 4, Chon Buri, Thailand. The cloak of night wasn’t enough to hide their mischievous antics, as the clock struck 2:18 am and the footage rolled, capturing their bedraggled escape from a police checkpoint on two zippy motorbikes. Their pit stop of choice—a serene motorcycle parking bay at the station—soon turned into the theater of their felonious follies. Spotting a lucky find—a key left perched atop a parked motorcycle—one intrepid teenager wasted no time. His nimble fingers deftly lifted the seat to snatch a loot of 600 baht (a modest US$18 by any measure) and a useful set of tools, all courtesy of a gas station employee. With their pockets discreetly heavier and newfound treasures in tow, the fearless five sped away into the night, leaving behind little more than a cloud of two-wheeled dust.

Feeling the sting of betrayal, Thanaphong Jaiboon, the 18-year-old motorcycle owner from Buriram Province, was understandably rattled. As an earnest gas station worker with just over two months under his belt, Thanaphong lamented the loss. The cash tucked beneath his seat was earmarked for a noble cause—his rent. In a heartfelt plea reported by The Pattaya News, he urged the miscreants to heed the better angels of their nature and return what wasn’t theirs. Otherwise, he forewarned, his next stop would be the venerable halls of justice at the Phanat Nikhom Police Station, armed with CCTV footage that held the cold, unflinching evidence.

Meanwhile, in a story riddled with family intrigue and whispers of betrayal, an octogenarian woman and her 35-year-old son sought justice at the Mueang Udon Thani Police Station. It was June 11, at a notably more civilized hour of 10:20 am, when Chalo and her son Cha opened up to Police Lieutenant Theeraphan Kaewphornyo about a theft that had hit painfully close to home. Not just money, but gold jewelry worth a king’s ransom—9 baht gold bars valued at about 453,798 baht (US$13,990) and an additional 30,000 baht (US$925)—vanished like a ghost. The treasure, cleverly stashed in a tin within a plastic box, was wrapped with a green necktie and tucked snugly on Chalo’s bed, beneath their humble abode. Their suspicions took a dramatic familial turn, landing squarely on Chalo’s 16-year-old grandson, Beer, who happened to reside in Non Tum village, Na Kha subdistrict. The air was thick with insinuation; a hidden-in-plain-sight scenario that made for riveting detective drama.

As these stories unfolded in vibrant Thailand, an ever-bustling news cycle churned at its typical pace. Updates on everything under the Thai sun painted a lively tableau—be it the looming adjustments to mobile tariffs by the NBTC, or the murky waters of oil investigation in Pattaya that grabbed headlines. From the nitty-gritty of trade tariffs affecting Thai firms amidst global tensions to stories of heroic bike-push rescues and alarming finds of live grenades in Hua Hin, there was no dull moment on the news ticker. Even the tales of Thai man’s marital discord in Samut Sakhon and controversial tales of mistaken phone thefts in quaint neighborhoods provided plenty of discussion fodder for the engaged citizenry. Whether it’s the thrill of the lottery, or the cultural escapades awaiting visitors to Chiang Mai’s art spaces, Thailand remains a place where stories of the heart, daring escapades, and an undying spirit weave an ever intoxicating tapestry of intrigue and wonder.