Officials Clear Illegal Hideout at Rural Highway Barrier Site
Officials cleared an illegal hideout at a rural highway barrier site in Pathum Thani after discovering evidence of illicit activity, including hundreds of used condoms and personal items scattered across the dark, unmonitored area.
Authorities conducted a cleanup and investigation of a barrier storage area along a rural highway in Bang Dueao, Muang District, Pathum Thani on July 29, following online reports of illicit activity. Officers from Muang Pathum Thani Police Station, Bang Dueao Subdistrict Administration, and the Department of Rural Roads discovered hundreds of used condoms, lubricant packets, tissues, insect repellent, water bottles, and women's undergarments scattered across the site. The area was dark with no lighting and had been equipped with mats and canvas coverings placed between barrier sections. Officials immediately removed the coverings and waste materials.
Subdistrict Chief Sutheap Somjai acknowledged that the area had gone unmonitored, noting that vehicles had been parking there late at night—sometimes up to 20 vehicles between 11 p.m. and midnight—before local officials became aware of the problem. He explained that residents and village authorities had been reluctant to investigate at night due to safety concerns about thieves stealing electrical cables from the site. Any future relocation or landscaping of the barriers would require crane equipment and significant funding, and decisions would need to be coordinated with the Department of Rural Roads to ensure the location does not become a new risk area for drug use or other crimes.
Captain Chucheep Kasetsagun of Muang Pathum Thani Police stated that officers had previously observed unusual activity including vehicles parking regularly at the site and had chased fleeing individuals. He noted that police leadership has instructed increased patrols to prevent criminal activity in the area.
