Seven youths detained over robbery of Japanese tourist in Bangkok

Makkasan police officers on Saturday took seven youths to the Central Juvenile and Family Court to seek their detention, following their alleged involvement in the night-time assault on and robbery of a Japanese tourist near the Makkasan Airport Rail Link station.

The suspects had been temporarily released to their families after being questioned on Friday night by investigators, in the company of a multidisciplinary team due to the suspects’ young age.

Parents and guardians accompanied the minors to Makkasan Police Station on Saturday morning before heading to court to submit bail applications.

Pol. Col. Urumporn Koondejsumrit, chief of Makkasan Police Station, confirmed that the youths confessed to the charges, acknowledging they had physically attacked the victim and stolen his property.

Regarding reports alleging that the victim committed obscene acts against the group prior to the attack, Urumporn declined to comment, citing legal privacy protections governing juvenile case details.

Addressing public concerns over the crime scene, an overgrown, densely wooded area suspected of being a nighttime haunt for local youths, the station chief explained that police lack direct authority to modify the site, as the land falls under the jurisdiction of the State Railway of Thailand.