Police arrested a former Thai boxer for allegedly setting two Malaysian tourists on fire in front of a shopping centre in central Bangkok on Friday night.
The two Malaysians were reported to be critically injured in the incident, which happened on Ratchadamri Road.
Lumpini police said passers-by helped apprehend the suspect, who tried to flee the scene. He was identified as Varakorn Pabthaisong, a 30-year-old unemployed man from Sa Kaeo province.
Police said they found a bottle of paint thinner and a lighter in his possession. He was quoted as admitting that he attacked the Malaysians out of frustration over being unemployed.
The two Malaysians — a man identified as Ong, 26, and a woman known as Gan, 27 — were sitting on the steps in front of the shopping centre at the time of the attack.
Witnesses said the pair were seen chatting with the suspect before walking away. However, the suspect later approached them, doused them with paint thinner, and set them alight.
Bernama reported that the Malaysian Embassy’s chargé d’affaires ad interim to Thailand, Bong Yik Jui, said he had visited the victims, who remain in critical but stable condition.
He said Ong was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at the Police General Hospital, while Gan is receiving treatment at Chulalongkorn Hospital.
“Ong sustained second-degree burns across his upper body, both front and back. The injuries are considered serious but not life-threatening,” he told Bernama.
He said Gan suffered second-degree burns over 36% of her body, but her condition is stable and she is conscious.
