Man High on Drugs Burns Neighbor's Excavator Over Feud
A 35-year-old man high on methamphetamine set fire to a neighbor's excavator in Lamplaimat, causing 200,000 baht in damage, after a dispute over wastewater and pesticide spray escalated into paranoia about his property.
On September 4, 2025, Lieutenant Colonel Kwanchaiue Phuekpoonphol, superintendent of Lamplaimat Police Station, ordered the arrest of Chatchai, age 35, at his residence following an overnight arson incident involving a backhoe. Chatchai was brought in for questioning at the station.
During interrogation, Chatchai admitted to a longstanding dispute with his neighbor over regularly diverted wastewater flowing onto his property and pesticide spray damaging his mother's garden vegetables. On the night of the incident, after taking two methamphetamine tablets and drinking one bottle of rice whiskey, he saw the backhoe parked near his home. Believing his neighbor had hired it to demolish his house, he became paranoid and acted. He pried open the excavator's fuel tank cap, soaked cloth in diesel, and lit it inside the engine compartment to render the machine inoperable. The damage totaled approximately 200,000 baht, affecting electrical wiring and hydraulic lines.
Chairintr, 55, the backhoe owner, explained he had been hired by a village subdistrict official to excavate three bamboo groves along a concrete road. He had parked the equipment opposite Chatchai's house for site preparation work.
The incident alarmed residents and property owners in the area, who called for strict legal action to prevent similar crimes. Lieutenant Colonel Jet Jetinai, the investigation officer, charged Chatchai with two offenses: possession of methamphetamine without authorization and arson. The case will proceed through the legal system.
