Five held with plane full of weapons from N.Korea
Monday, December 14th, 2009
Thailand detained five men after they made an emergency landing in Bangkok with a cargo plane from North Korea full of heavy weapons, ministers and officials said.
The crew requested to land for refuelling at Don Mueang airport, where inspectors discovered a haul of weaponry including firearms and missiles, said deputy prime minister Suthep Thaungsuban.
“They declared that the goods on board the flight were oil drilling equipment but when we examined we found it was all weaponry,” Suthep, who is also in charge of national security, told reporters.
Police said four of the men are from Kazakhstan and one is from Belarus.
“There were a lot of weapons such as rocket-propelled grenades, missiles and other war weapons,” said Lieutenant General Thangai Prasajaksattru, commander of Thailand’s Central Investigation Bureau.
Air Force spokesman Captain Montol Suchookorn and special branch police said the chartered plane originated in North Korea’s capital Pyongyang.
“According to my information, the flight originated from North Korea. It was a cargo flight that requested to land at the civilian side of the airport,” Montol said, adding that the air force was guarding the aircraft.
Local media reported that the plane was carrying 40 tonnes of weaponry and was believed to be registered in Georgia.
Suthep told reporters the case would require careful examination as it involved several countries.
“This case will proceed carefully as there are many parties involved… everything must proceed transparently,” Suthep said.
A translator from the Russian Embassy would visit the suspects on their request early Sunday, police said.
Prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva confirmed the arrests came as a result of foreign intelligence.
National television channels reported that US officials had tipped off Thai authorities but a spokesman for the US Embassy in Bangkok, Michael Turner, said he was unaware of the incident.
“Officials will proceed according to the law. This is a case of a false declaration of goods,” said Abhisit.
“It has no impact on Thailand’s internal security. This is a joint collaboration of intelligence. We received a tip-off,” he added.
Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayakorn said the weapons had been transferred to Takhli air force base in the central Thai province of Nakhon Sawan.
Thailand’s airports authority said the domestic Don Mueang airport remained open to passengers.
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