This week: TikTok fishing arrest, Bangkok rains, Southern violence and weed illegality
Tourist arrested over TikTok fishing video
A Dutch tourist was arrested in Phuket on a charge of illegally catching parrotfish after a TikTok video of him spearfishing drew outrage from local residents.
The video showed the man with two endangered parrotfish, three other fish and stabbing a sea eel.
The tourist, who rented the speargun from a local operator, said he was not aware he was fishing inside Mu Koh Phi Phi National Park.
Police were preparing their case against the man and will also take legal action against the trip's boat owner and the person who provided the speargun.
Bangkok floods
Heavy rain pounded Greater Bangkok on Monday evening and left some eastern districts of the capital under knee-deep water.
The heaviest rain recorded was 80mm per hour in Min Buri district, and floodwater on streets measured as much as 28 centimetres on Chalerm Prakiat Rama IX Road.
Blackouts were reported in several areas due to storm-felled trees hitting power cables.
Violence escalates in South
Insurgents launched coordinated bomb and arson attacks on convenience stores and petrol stations at 17 places in three southern border provinces, causing considerable damage.
The attacks in Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani began late on Tuesday night and continued into the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Three people were reported to have been injured.
The worst damage was caused to a petrol station in Pattani, which was burned down.
Police were investigating the attacks, which they said were clearly coordinated.
More weed confusion
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said he smelled cannabis while jogging past Khao San Road.
Officials sprang into action, hastily inspecting the street's weed stalls, concluding that the sale of cannabis and cannabis products by street vendors is illegal.
Public Health Minister and weed advocate Anutin Charnvirakul on Tuesday called on law enforcement agents to arrest people trading in cannabis and cannabis products on the street.
On Wednesday, however, Anutin said that further liberalisation of cannabis for recreational use is possible in the future if the public agree that cannabis use is not harmful.
