Cable thieves blacked-out Pattaya-Rayong motorway
published : 13 Sep 2023 at 12:15
writer: Gary Boyle
ORIGINAL SOURCE/WRITER: Chaiyot Pupattanapong
Police have arrested two men for the theft of power cables along the Pattaya-Rayong motorway that shut down the CCTV system along the inter-provincial highway last month.
Highway police arrested the two Thai men at a house in Bang Lamung district about 12.30am on Wednesday.
At the house police found about 40 kilogrammes of copper, lengths of power cable totalling about 100 metres, and cable cutters.
Late last month police interrupted a gang stealing cable from the Pattaya-Rayong motorway in Bang Lamung district. A 38-year-old Lao man was arrested. The others got away.
The gang caused about 10 million baht in damage because the CCTV system shut down along the entire 32 kilometres of the Pattaya-Rayong (Map Ta Phut) motorway, according to police.
The Lao man said the two Thai men were his bosses.
One of the Thai men allegedly told police his gang had stolen power cable from the motorway in Chon Buri and Rayong provinces about 50 times. They sold the copper in the cables to scrap shops and earned about 20,000 baht each time.
Another member of the gang was still at large, police said.
Vocabulary
- at large: not having been caught by the police - ลอยนวล, ยังไม่ถูกจับกุม
- cable: thick strong metal rope used on ships, for supporting bridges, etc. - สายเคเบิ้ล, เชือกหรือเหล็กเส้นขนาดใหญ่
- copper: a soft reddish-brown metal used for making electric wires, pipes and coins - ทองแดง
- damage (noun): physical harm caused to something which makes it less attractive, useful or valuable - ความเสียหาย
- get away: flee; to leave a place or person quickly because you are afraid of possible danger - หนี อพยพ
- interrupt: to say or do something that makes somebody stop what they are saying or doing - ขัดจังหว
- scrap: old metal, paper, etc. that can be used again after going through a special process - เหล็กเก่า ๆ สำหรับหล่อหลอมและเปลี่ยนรูปใหม่,เศษเหล็ก, เป็นชิ้นเล็กชิ้น
