CHONBURI: One would possibly think that armed theft follows a reasonably formulaic course of: simply seize a weapon, threaten someone and, if everything goes to plan, flee with the loot.However, as with different professions, there are additionally cultural elements involved within the selection of apparatus. An Amazon Indian may use a blowpipe in a hold-up, whereas a Zulu would more naturally opt for a knobkerrie.Thus it should come as no shock that a Thai hoodlum in Pattaya just lately chose an Isarn specialty – chili paste and pla ra (fermented fish) – as his weapon of choice.On September 24, 47-year-old Sithichai Bunwat was closing the secondhand store during which he labored when two youths pulled up outside on a moped.Three heavies in a white automobile parked behind the bike. The youths then headed over to K. Sihichai and one of them pulled out a gun, ordering him again into the shop.Once inside, they grabbed K. Sithichai’s arms and locked them to the fridge. Then they pulled out a bag of fiery chili and fermented fish paste, throwing it throughout K. Sithi’s face to blind him.Victim incapacitated, the young thugs smashed the glass show case at the entrance of the store and made off with the electronics and jewelery it contained.After the youths and their lookouts had left, K. Sithi was in a place to free himself by kicking over the fridge. Wiping the stinging and pungent mess from his face, he then called the police and the shop’s proprietor, Wichan Biakhrai, also a member of Nong Preu Municipal Council.K. Free stated the thieves had taken 15 digital nonetheless and video cameras, rings and bracelets with a total of a hundred and fifty grams of gold, 30 watches, 20,000 baht in cash and 25 cell phones.The articles stolen have a mixed value of about 500,000 baht, he added.It was the third time the shop has been hit by thieves, K. Wichan said. The shop is fitted with three CCTV cameras, however as Murphy’s Law would have it, there was no tape in the recorder on the day of the theft.Police, however, were fast off the mark and soon had a suspect in custody, a man named Wichai who was fou