Seventy young motorcycle street racers were rounded up in a well planned chase last night by police and soldiers using both police patrol cars and Army Humvee trucks blocking all escape routes of the crazy bike racers.
They will face tough penalties under the policy of the military junta to deal with defiant street racers announced only a few weeks ago.
Under the tough measures issued under Section 44 of the interim constitution, the military junta empowers the police to detain the offenders and to confiscate their vehicles for examination up to 15 days.
The roundup of these bike racers followed long complaints by residents and motorists that they always blocked a section of Rama 3 road from Ratchadapisek intersection to Yaek Narathiwatrajanakarin in Bang Pongpang district to race every weekend night, causing noise pollution and unsafe driving.
A setup to apprehend all the young bike racers was then jointly worked out by Bang Pongpang police and soldiers of the 3rd Army Calvary Battalion using six heavy trucks and three Army Humvee trucks to block all routes after chasing them into the trap on the stretch on Rama 3 between Ratchadapisek and Narathiwat intersections.
As the group of almost 100 racers started to gather for race at the entrance of Soi Charoenrat 7 off Ratchadapisek road about 8 pm, the joint operation comprising almost 100 police, soldiers and civil volunteers then started the setup.
Patrol cars and trucks then chased all street racers to the trap along Rama 3 to Narathiwat intersection where all sois which could be used for escape were all manned by police and soldiers and blocked by heavy trucks and Humvee trucks.
When all the racers were cordoned to the dead end, some abandoned their vehicles on the road and ran away.
All the remaining 70 surrendered with 65 motorcycles.
They were ordered to lie on the road with their faces down by soldiers.
Of all the 70 racers rounded up, six are girls.
Among them are 30 youths under 18-years-old, and the rest are adults.
Police said they will summon parents of the underaged racers to hear charges, while their kids sent for rehabilitation, while those adults will face prompt legal prosecution under the policy of the military junta that also holds their parents responsible for street race.
