Deputy national police chief Pongsapat Pongcharoen has ordered officers to hunt for Songkran revellers who are dressing inappropriately, after an indecent clip surfaced which authorities say trample on Songkran traditions.
On Wednesday, a clip showing a group of men trying to sexually abuse a topless woman went viral, prompting the call for people to behave themselves. The clip was taken at an event at the RCA entertainment complex on Phetchaburi Road.
Pol Gen Pongsapat Thursday ordered investigators to track down the topless woman and the men seen in the clip. He was speaking at Bang Khen police station after meeting authorities to discuss a recent increase in indecent exposure incidents.
The 15-second clip showed a dancing woman wearing a white T-shirt and a yellow cap. The woman then exposed her breasts while a group of about five men tried to molest her by touching her breasts.
Pol Gen Pongsapat said he had ordered investigators to examine pictures from CCTV cameras near the event very closely. He also ordered them to track down the men and the woman, who face public indecency charges if, or rather when they are caught.
Meanwhile, Pol Col Sorawit Petchkham, superintendent of Makkasan police, said a team of investigators who had inspected the scene and studied evidence found the clip was recorded last year.
He said investigators were seeking the person who posted the clip. Police are also likely to press charges of causing confusion among officers, he added.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Health has denied rumours that more than 100 people who took part in Songkran festivities on Silom Road have come down with illnesses caused by dirty water and substances splashed about in the event.
It was reported illnesses included eye infections and skin rashes.
Deputy permanent secretary for Public Health Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchai said no patients with such symptoms had been reported as seeking treatment at nearby hospitals.
Dr Suwanchai said he had ordered authorities to check whether people who took part in the festivities on Silom Road had later sought medical help from hospitals in the neighbourhood including Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok Christian Hospital, BNH Hospital and Charoenkrung Pracharak Hospital.
Rumours spread online that more than 100 people who had joined an event to mark the Songkran festival on Silom Road suffered eye infections and skin rashes caused by urine, vinegar and people spraying dirty water.
Meanwhile, 64,310 people were arrested for drink-driving and 1,565 vehicles impounded between Sunday and Wednesday, National Council for Peace and Order spokeswoman Sirichan Ngathong said.