Photo courtesy of KhaoSod

 

By Puntid Tantivangphaisal

 

A skirmish erupted along the northern border, resulting in the deaths of four people involved in drug trafficking. The confrontation occurred late on Monday, January 13, leading to the seizure of 34 sacks of crystal methamphetamine (Ice), which weighed over 1 tonne.

 

Major General Kidakorn Chantra, commander of the Pha Mueang Force, and Lieutenant Colonel Jakkrapong Sodsri, deputy commander of the Task Force Chaotak, inspected the clash site between soldiers from Company 1, Chaotak Task Force, and the drug couriers yesterday, January 14 at 11am.

 

The confrontation took place in Ban Pang Mahan, village 8, Thoet Thai subdistrict, Mae Fa Luang district, Chiang Rai province, approximately 600 metres from the border.

 

The clash began around 10.15pm on January 13, as soldiers from Company 1, Chaotak Task Force, were monitoring the area to prevent drug-related offences. They identified a group of suspicious individuals carrying backpacks and attempted to intervene.

 

However, the group responded by opening fire with unidentified weapons, resulting in a 20-minute exchange. The opposing group eventually retreated into the neighbouring country. Following the skirmish, two operational units were deployed to secure the area due to the nighttime conditions.

 

 

At dawn, officers cleared the clash site and discovered approximately 34 backpacks, along with the bodies of four deceased individuals from the opposing group. Upon inspecting the bags, it was determined that they contained a total of about 1,155 kilogrammes of Ice, spread across 35 backpacks. It is believed the drugs were destined for a third country, using Thailand as a transit route.

 

Major General Kidakorn suggested that the group comprised approximately 30 to 35 individuals who transported the drugs from a neighbouring border. Despite receiving a warning signal from the police, the group chose to engage in a firefight, resulting in casualties on their side. The remaining members presumably abandoned their heavy sacks and fled back to the neighbouring country.

 

Major General Kidakorn further urged those involved in drug trafficking to reconsider whether the risk of smuggling drugs from neighbouring countries into Thailand is worth endangering their lives.

 

He emphasised the broader impact on the community, particularly on the youth who may become addicted to these substances, and urged traffickers to weigh the consequences of their actions, reported KhaoSod.

 

Source: The Thaiger

-- 2025-01-15

 

 

Well done in stopping this shipment from wrecking more lives

8 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

At dawn, officers cleared the clash site and discovered approximately 34 backpacks, along with the bodies of four deceased individuals from the opposing group.

Good, no sympathy for drug runners. They are well aware of the risk hazards and willingly sacrificed themselves.

26 minutes ago, tomazbodner said:

Well done in stopping this shipment from wrecking more lives

 

i wouldn’t call that "well done." it always looks like the army simply executes these smugglers.

 

i still believe the law and a court should decide the punishment, not corrupt and untrustworthy soldiers given a free pass to kill.

these killers are just as much criminals, and i wouldn’t pat a criminal on the back and say "well done" ... would you?

21 minutes ago, motdaeng said:

 

i wouldn’t call that "well done." it always looks like the army simply executes these smugglers.

 

i still believe the law and a court should decide the punishment, not corrupt and untrustworthy soldiers given a free pass to kill.

these killers are just as much criminals, and i wouldn’t pat a criminal on the back and say "well done" ... would you?

Depends.

 

58 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

However, the group responded by opening fire with unidentified weapons, resulting in a 20-minute exchange.

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

A skirmish erupted along the northern border, resulting in the deaths of four people involved in drug trafficking. The confrontation occurred late on Monday, January 13, leading to the seizure of 34 sacks of crystal methamphetamine (Ice), which weighed over 1 tonne.

Yikes....

12 hours ago, motdaeng said:

 

i wouldn’t call that "well done." it always looks like the army simply executes these smugglers.

 

i still believe the law and a court should decide the punishment, not corrupt and untrustworthy soldiers given a free pass to kill.

these killers are just as much criminals, and i wouldn’t pat a criminal on the back and say "well done" ... would you?

In this case yes... well done boys, go find some more misery paddlers

12 hours ago, motdaeng said:

 

i wouldn’t call that "well done." it always looks like the army simply executes these smugglers.

 

i still believe the law and a court should decide the punishment, not corrupt and untrustworthy soldiers given a free pass to kill.

these killers are just as much criminals, and i wouldn’t pat a criminal on the back and say "well done" ... would you?

If someone shoots a you ,you can shoot back or run away. If you run away you may get shot in the back. Take your pick.

it seems that most of you fail to grasp the reality of the situation.

over the past few years, similar reports have appeared regularly in the media. the same patterns repeat over and over: the smugglers initiate a firefight, a few drug smugglers are killed, no one is injured or wounded, and no one is arrested. on the army's side, after a "fierce" firefight, there are no injuries or fatalities either.

 

if you believe this endlessly repeated story to be the truth and support extrajudicial killings, then you probably still believe this is the way to do it ... i hope you never find yourself in an argument with this kind of killing soldiers / peoples ...

 

the army's method of shooting smugglers is deliberate. the soldiers who kill are rewarded with hefty bonuses (including for keeping quiet), and these killers are even treated as heroes (from people like you) . it’s an absolute disgrace ...

should be the outcome every single time...do the crime, do the time ...  drugs = time's up

10 minutes ago, Justanotherone said:

should be the outcome every single time...do the crime, do the time ...  drugs = time's up

 

i agree with you "do the crime, do the time", but it seems you're overlooking the fact that extrajudicial killings are

also a crime and don't represent "doing the time for the crime" ... at least, that's how i see it.

 

if someone drives drunk and causes a fatal accident, should this reckless person also be executed on the spot?

or is that somehow different in your opinion?

 

On 1/15/2025 at 5:51 PM, motdaeng said:

 

i wouldn’t call that "well done." it always looks like the army simply executes these smugglers.

 

i still believe the law and a court should decide the punishment, not corrupt and untrustworthy soldiers given a free pass to kill.

these killers are just as much criminals, and i wouldn’t pat a criminal on the back and say "well done" ... would you?

When the couriers open fire, what is the patrol supposed to do?