At the end of Songkran, teenagers in Makham Wan town gathered to fight and threw ping pong bombs near Wichian Buri Police Station. Witnesses said the dispute likely involved the harassment of a woman.
On 16 April 2026, reporters updated on a group of teenagers involved in a brawl, with punches exchanged leading to chaos. Bottles and ping pong bombs were thrown, and shouts of gunfire caused tourists intending to enjoy Songkran water activities to panic and flee. The incident occurred on Highway 2012 near Wichian Buri Police Station, Tha Rong subdistrict, Wichian Buri district, Phetchabun province.
Reporters traveled to the scene.The incident location.Interviews with locals revealed the fighting group was likely outsiders visiting for Songkran. During the incident, everyone was frightened and fled immediately, but once calm returned,it was found that one sound system vehicle was burned, presumed to belong to the fighting group.One sound system vehicle was found burned, suspected to belong to the disputing group.
Meanwhile, on social media, a video clip of the brawl circulated. The clip owner said they came with about ten friends and were filming the festival atmosphere when chaos broke out, causing panic. They kept filming as evidence in case the situation escalated. In the clip, a youth wearing a shirt said,“Is this all you can do for Songkran?”It is suspected that the conflict arose fromharassment ofa woman who was a girlfriend of one of the shirtless group, leading to an argument and the fight seen in the video. The witness believes those carrying bombs intended trouble, not to celebrate, as tourists would not bring such items if they came just to enjoy the festival.
Police Colonel Nikom Srilek, Superintendent of Wichian Buri Police Station, said no complaints have been filed yet, and the youths’ identities and origins remain unclear due to distant camera angles. Investigators are reviewing CCTV footage from various locations to identify and apprehend the suspects for legal action.
This afternoon (16 April), Wichian Buri Police investigation officers, under the direction of Police Colonel Nikom Srilek, inspected individuals from the video at a residence in Nam Ron subdistrict, Wichian Buri district, Phetchabun. They found a youth, Mr. A (alias), carrying an unregistered homemade short shotgun, 12-gauge, along with two 12-gauge shotgun shells. Mr. A was charged with possession of firearms and ammunition without registration.
Subsequently, investigators brought both groups of youths to Wichian Buri Police Station for record-taking and questioning about their motives. They revealed the cause was intoxication and jealousy. Legal proceedings will continue.