Police have charged two men after a video showing a man riding a jet ski through floodwater on Phetchaburi Road in Bangkok sparked criticism on social media.
The video shows the man riding the jet ski in a flooded area near the Ekamai Nuea intersection on New Phetchaburi Road in Bang Kapi subdistrict.
Following the criticism, officers from Makkasan police station were ordered to check CCTV footage along the route and at nearby locations. Police subsequently tracked down the jet-ski rider and another man who was filming the incident.
They were identified as 28-year-old “Sorn” and “Prao”.
During preliminary questioning, both men admitted that they had appeared in the video and had committed the acts shown. They claimed, however, that they had acted out of ignorance and had only intended to make people smile at a time when the city was suffering widespread flooding.
Sorn also claimed that he had studied abroad and was unfamiliar with Thai culture.
Police accused Sorn of acting in a manner that caused others embarrassment or annoyance and of obstructing traffic without permission from the traffic chief. Prao was charged as an accomplice.
Police said they would proceed with the case and submit it to court today. They will also ask the court to order the jet ski confiscated.
