Sixty-five patrons and staff were arrested in the early hours of Saturday at a restaurant just off Sukhumvit Road in the Nana area of Bangkok for violating the Emergency Decree.

Officers from the Immigration Bureau and Lumpini Police Station raided the Taj Cafe on Sukhumvit Soi 3 just after 1am following a tip-off the restaurant was open selling booze and baraku to customers.

Not only did police find shisha and alcohol sales taking place at the venue masquerading as an Indian restaurant, but they also found 12 people who had entered Thailand illegally and one foreigner on overstay.

All were charged with visa violations and violating the emergency decree.

Fifty-two others, including 42 Thais and 10 foreign nationals, were charged with illegal assembly in violation of the decree.

The manager Mandeep Singh, a 28-year-old Indian national, was charged with working without a permit, violating the emergency decree and the City Hall closure order and allowing baraku to be smoked on the premises.

All were taken to the Lumpini station for further legal proceedings.

On January 2 the BMA announced the closure of 25 types of businesses, including entertainment venues to contain the spread of Covid-19 following an outbreak in mid-December that began rapidly spreading around the country.

Photo Credit Wassayos Ngamkham

A teenage gaming addict allegedly stabbed his mother in a frenzied attack after she disturbed him while he was playing online.

Surawut Tinarong, 17, would reportedly spend all day engrossed in multi-player war games in his room in Buriram, northeast Thailand.

However, his mother Saiyut, 46, is said to have taken rice to him while he was playing on January 7 before he flew into a rage.

He allegedly chased his mother out of the room then later stabbed her in the back four times with a kitchen knife.

Saiyut said she felt a pain jolting her back before she turned round to see it was her son, who reportedly stabbed her three more times.

Neighbours heard her screams and ran over to help her before calling an ambulance.

While they waited for the rescuers, the son is said to have stabbed himself with the same knife three times then collapsed on the pavement.

Both the mother and her son were taken to Nang Rong Hospital by paramedics, where they are in a stable condition.

Speaking to the police, relatives claimed the lad had symptoms of game addiction.

They said that he used to play outside with friends but would now stay in his room using his smartphone to join multi-player contents.

He hadn’t left his room since New Year, they said.

One of the relatives who went with the mother and son to the hospital said that he was still talking incoherently after the incident.

They said: “He told me he was sorry and that he didn’t mean to do it.

“He said he didn’t mean to do it but he had no choice because someone was controlling his actions.”

Doctors said they did not find any drug or alcoholic substances in his body and believed that it may be due to psychological issues.

Officers are still investigating the incident while the mother and his son, who are both in a stable condition, are being treated for their wounds.

Lieutenant Colonel Sakchai Kittiudomphan from the Nang Rong Police Station said the gamer is set to have a psychological evaluation once his wounds are better.

He said: “The allegations have not yet been reported by the mother and we are waiting for tests to return from the hospital before considering the charges.”

The governor of Kanchanaburi issued an order on Thursday evening to shut down all hotels and resorts in the province effective immediately.

Guests who have already checked in can complete their stay after which the hotel must close immediately until further notice.

Violators will face fines of up to 100,000 baht and/or two years behind bars.

Governor Phoomsawat said because the province is popular with tourists, closing hotels and resorts was necessary to prevent the spread of the virus during the current outbreak.

The only exemptions are hotels used as quarantine facilities or by officials visiting on Covid-19 related matters.