N. Korea Aircraft Makes Emergency Landing At Bangkok's Don Mueang Airport

[surangw]

could be the big countries ( the major suppliers of arms) just don't like competition

[LaoPo]

Excerpt:

The aircraft is believed to have started its journey in Central Asia, making several stops on its way to North Korea, including a brief stop in Thailand on Friday.

But when it returned on Saturday morning to the same Bangkok airport to refuel, the plane was searched and the huge cache of weapons discovered.

That's bloody fast.....BKK>>>>NK>>>>>BKK, including loading time; wouldn't a rest-time for the pilots be required also ?

From: http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8412929.stm

LaoPo

The pilots now in police custody don't fly for American Airlines or Air Canada, do they? <deleted> does Kim Jong Il care about rest time for pilots (he doesn't ever fly). While the times are strange to figure out, I doubt anyone involved in this at either end care much about the pilots getting their solid eight hours in a Pyongyang hotel that's occupied on the two bottom floors and always empty on the 25 floors above. 

And yep, the US Embassy in Bangkok says it cannot "either confirm or deny" it knew anything about any "tip offs" by US intelligence to Thai authorities. The US Embassy is in this up to its neck, very glad to say.

And you answered your own question (knowingly or not) in Post #294 when you asked (ever so wily!) whether the PRC controls its own airspace by waving pirate flags, then noted the awesomely (my word) sophisticated (my emphasis) PRC air defense and survelence system knows ALL (your emphais) air movements in in the hemisphere. The fact is the PRC does aggressively police its airspace and its territorial waters. 

I used YOUR word "sophisticated" ? I'm so sorry I didn't know you had it patented.

BTW: you didn't answer my question if the Chinese are aggressively protecting their airspace with Black Pirate Flags ?

LaoPo

[LaoPo]

And yes, the PRC does have some certain limited technological intelligence capability primarily due to its R&D, i.e., Receive and Duplicate. More fully, R&DAE, Receive and Duplicate After Espionage.

Which Elite General whispered that in your ear Publicus, or did they ask you to check upon the system yourself ?

LaoPo

[Publicus]

And yes, the PRC does have some certain limited technological intelligence capability primarily due to its R&D, i.e., Receive and Duplicate. More fully, R&DAE, Receive and Duplicate After Espionage.

Is this the same PRC that in 2006 had the 4th highest R&D spend in the world (in absolute terms), and topping the US, EU, and Japan in % of GDP terms?

I reckon they may have sufficient technology to be watching you Publicus, and with good reason

Yeh, it's the same PRC that last year built its first all Chinese designed and manufactured commercial passenger aircraft, with all 29 seats aboard. The same PRC where professors lecture classes full of students, as many as 200 to a class, with canned lessons from the internet while students sit silently either listening or because they're sleeping. The same PRC which just lost a censorship battle with Microsoft but continues to wage its censorship battle against Google and Yahoo and is spending in R&D to create new ways to censor the internet (TV such as UBC from outside of the PRC is prohibited so the Communist Party of China is always in need of creating new technologies to block overseas satellite signals and websites and to censor the internet (Facebook is prohibited since July - banned, access denied, as is Youtube and others).  

R&D spending in the West and in Japan (considered a part of the West) is directed in radically different ways, qualitatively and quantitatively, from that in the PRC, which primarily is investing R&D in weapons technology thereby obliviously following the Soviet model of self destruction while being certain it's not making the same mistake the USSR made, i.e, political liberalization.  

New PRC R&D spending is occurring in new ways to spy on the population and to control their lives, rather than do something basic to the standard of living such as creating a market for clothes driers, dishwashers, electric can openers, provide water to residences businesses and industry without having to shut it off one day a week, making cars affordable to the general population, constructing a rail network and locomotives that move at better than 60kph, provide indoor heating in residences and workplaces during its nasty winters north of the Yangtze River, offer modern medical science instead of traditional herbs and leaves that leave the population with long lingering coughs and common ailments whose symptoms can much better be treated; R&D into................well, obviously one could go on............and on...........

As to technology to watch me, I'm no one in the PRC. The campus police who stand at the entrance to the faculty residences and who prowl the grounds know my comings and goings, who visits my apartment on campus (all uni faculty in the PRC must live on campus, we just don't have the 11 pm curfew the kiddies have), for how long, when visitors leave and their car license tags etc etc. They know the time I turn in for the night and note the times I leave mornings. So you needn't concern your little self about PRC technology to watch me as their human 'intelligence' does the job thoroughly and well. Sometimes I take some tea out to the guard who prowls the grounds outside my apartment building, which he appreciates. I'm sure he reports both my bring tea to him and the (poor) quality of it.        

[LaoPo]

^^^^

Your negative attitude towards China is almost sickening and paranoid coming from someone living there by his own choice.

You only post negative views but refrain from the enormous leaps forward the country has made since some 30+ years after Mao died in 1976.

China has a long way to go and many things are still very wrong but with you the cup is always half empty instead half full. That's a pity in your attitude.

Why don't you leave China and come back to perfect Thailand or even better: go back to the even more perfect US ?

LaoPo

[koheesti]

^^^^

Your negative attitude towards China is almost sickening and paranoid coming from someone living there by his own choice.

You only post negative views but refrain from the enormous leaps forward the country has made since some 30+ years after Mao died in 1976.

China has a long way to go and many things are still very wrong but with you the cup is always half empty instead half full. That's a pity in your attitude.

Why don't you leave China and come back to perfect Thailand or even better: go back to the even more perfect US ?

LaoPo

This time last year I was finishing up 2 months living in Guangzhou (Canton). I had an overall good impression of China - even though I think one of my neighbors was "assigned" to me. Maybe it was just coincidence that he was always around whenever I was coming or going. Nice enough guy in any case.

[Publicus]

^^^^

Your negative attitude towards China is almost sickening and paranoid coming from someone living there by his own choice.

You only post negative views but refrain from the enormous leaps forward the country has made since some 30+ years after Mao died in 1976.

China has a long way to go and many things are still very wrong but with you the cup is always half empty instead half full. That's a pity in your attitude.

Why don't you leave China and come back to perfect Thailand or even better: go back to the even more perfect US ?

LaoPo

Really got someone's goat over the People's Republic of China, eh?!?

Yes I'm in the People's Republic of China, ruled by the Communist Party of China, of my own choosing. Thailand got too ugly for me, the reds, the yellows, the rapid change of LOS to the Land of UnSmiles, of irritated people and irritations I'd never known or experienced until the Thaksin Era.

PRChina for the past 30 years has been opened and is open, yes, open exclusively for business and bucks, not for freedom, liberty, democracy or individual choice, not to be free from fear of a swiftly authoritarian state that crushes hundreds of unreported demonstrations each month and which in 1989 entered Tienaman Square to shoot to kill, which it did do ruthlessly using tanks against 20 year old university students and citizens of Beijing alike, sending the bills for the bullets that killed student demonstrators to their parents to be paid by them.

The insistence that I love it or leave it is amusing and entertaining . It's also pathetic. Hey, to reverse the suggestion, if you love The PRC and the rule of the Communist Party of China so much why not go live and work in the PRC, or is it too tuff and is the long lost whistful LOS too mellow to leave, despite realities?

Really got you hot under the collar, eh?!?

I love the Thailand I knew, the one before Thaksin. You love the PRC and the CPC we all well know and which asserts the wrong model to the world. I want to know the specifics of that awful and wrongheaded model, the one that hates democracy, freedom, inalienable human rights - the one that hates and rejects classic Western liberalism and the classic Western liberal idea and model.

So perhaps a yellow pill - nay - a red one might calm the temperment when such critiques and criticism of the PRC is presented lest one become as intolerant towards Western liberalism as the CPC of the PRC itself.

Edited December 15, 2009 by Publicus

[brahmburgers]

And yes, the PRC does have some certain limited technological intelligence capability primarily due to its R&D, i.e., Receive and Duplicate. More fully, R&DAE, Receive and Duplicate After Espionage.

Is this the same PRC that in 2006 had the 4th highest R&D spend in the world (in absolute terms), and topping the US, EU, and Japan in % of GDP terms?

I reckon they may have sufficient technology to be watching you Publicus, and with good reason

Is it the same PRC that can't manufacture an extention cord? I reside in northernmost Thailand, and I've bought every type of extention cord available in this region, about 7 different types, several of each. They're all made in either China or Thailand, and none of them function worth a pile of frog feces. I sometimes make my own (from inferior Chinese/Thai electrical components), and am considering importing power strips from places that know how to make things from electrical wire (i.e. Japan or farang countries).

Similarly, at each of the shops in C.Rai which sell power tools, there are one set of tools, made in their countries of origin, and there are another set of which are copies made in China. Guess which set of tools cost half as much? And yes, they're the same tools that need to be taken in for repairs & replacement parts after each few hours of use.

We don't know who's purchasing the confiscated weapons being held at a military base near Bangkok, but if they're made in N.Korea, and the PRK's manufacturing standards are anywhere near Chinese standards, then the operators of those weapons might be at as much risk as those at the receiving end.

[Scott]

This topic is getting seriously off-topic. It's time to re-adjust our comments to the topic at hand. I find the connections between PRC, North Korea and other countries quite interesting, but like the plane, let's try have our comments land in Thailand for refueling.

[LaoPo]

This topic is getting seriously off-topic. It's time to re-adjust our comments to the topic at hand. I find the connections between PRC, North Korea and other countries quite interesting, but like the plane, let's try have our comments land in Thailand for refueling.

Mea Culpa for my part of the discussion....the winds from the east blew me away

LaoPo

[webfact]

NORTH KOREAN PLANE SEIZED

Rocket launchers, but no nuclear components

By THE NATION

Published on December 16, 2009

The biggest weapons seized on a Soviet cargo plane detained at Don Mueang airport on Saturday are multiple rocket launchers - two mobile units - and two dozen 240mm unguided rockets, high-ranking security sources said yesterday.

The total value of weapons found in 145 large boxes that weigh nearly 40 tonnes all up was estimated at around Bt600 million, the sources said.

No nuclear munitions or weapons of mass destruction were found on board, the sources added.

The weapons were unloaded from the Il-76 Kazakhstan-registered aircraft and transported to Takhli Air Force base in Nakhon Sawan province under tight security.

The rocket launchers were identified as an M-1985 model manufactured by North Korea although based on Soviet-era technology.

Another unconfirmed report said there were a number of Soviet-made rocket-propelled grenade launchers without munitions found on board, but no assault rifles of any type.

Information about the type of weapons on the plane cannot be confirmed until the results of an official joint inspection of the cargo yesterday afternoon, by six military and civilian agencies, is officially released.

The six agencies are the airforce and police ordnance departments, the Police Crime Suppression Division, the Attorney General's Office, National Intelligence Commission and the police Special Branch.

The five crew-members face charges of being in possession of explosives without permission in addition to a number of offences already filed against them, including smuggling weapons into Thailand.

The weapons will eventually be destroyed under a United Nations protocol after experts have confirmed what they are, acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said.

He said many west European countries had expressed interest in witnessing the inspection process.

Panitan said he was not sure if a bounty would be awarded to Thailand or local authorities who uncovered the weapons.

He said UN or local weapons inspectors could request travel and commodity expenses under normal procedures.

Asked to comment on any possible danger for Thailand for undertaking this action, he said Thailand merely followed a UN protocol and enforced its internal security laws.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said later Thailand may request UN funds for further inspection of the weapons. He said Thailand would work closely with the UN in handling the matter.

CSD deputy chief Pol Colonel Suphisal Phakdee-naruenart, who jointly inspected the weapons, said Sri Lanka was the next stop on the aircraft's flight log but further inquiries were being made to determine if that was the plane's real destination.

-- The Nation 2009/12/16

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

[ferd54]

This topic is getting seriously off-topic. It's time to re-adjust our comments to the topic at hand. I find the connections between PRC, North Korea and other countries quite interesting, but like the plane, let's try have our comments land in Thailand for refueling.

Please but as long as we're this far afield, can I add a few additional blatherings?

It's not surprising that the Chinese have difficulty with innovation and have a culture of copying. For more than 2,000 years the best minds in the country spent their time merely analyzing and regurgitating Confucius. The mindset was that all the known worthwhile knowledge had been discovered and the ideal was a perfect understanding of that.

Rote teaching is still widespread. In a similar way students are taught that all important knowledge is contained "in this box" and their task is to master what's in it.

But that is changing very rapidly. The Chinese are certainly intelligent and after finally being intensively exposed to outside thought over the past 30 years, they are coming up with quality creative innovations of their own.

They are also smart enough to know that to achieve sustainable modernization, they will have to not only copy and learn from the West, but also allow its experts and professionals enough of the action to keep them engaged, so one can actually be successful as a foreigner in China. This is where Thailand and China profoundly diverge.

[animatic]

And yes, the PRC does have some certain limited technological intelligence capability primarily due to its R&D, i.e., Receive and Duplicate. More fully, R&DAE, Receive and Duplicate After Espionage.

Which Elite General whispered that in your ear Publicus, or did they ask you to check upon the system yourself ?

LaoPo

Good wife,

you do your arguments a diservice, by harping so long and loud

about your imagined lack of Publicus's access to information

from many different sources, both in and out of the PRC.

That the PRC is active in international technology espionage is not exactly a state secret,

held quietly by a privileged few... their agents get caught regularly and sent packing or to jail.

Full press coverage in several countries.

As to his abilities at reporting, I was reading his work in news papers 30+ years ago,

and know several pols in the political world he has worked with, and have met Pub personally.

Your carping makes you diminished, because it is so ill informed.

Please get back on topic, not personalities.

As too alleged negativity.

Sweeping problems under the rug, al la S.O.P. Thailand, is not the way to FIX them.

So pointing out problems and issues, which for some is negativity, for others is a way

to address the issues at hand. This is reporting 101; find and issue and bring it to light.

Edited December 16, 2009 by animatic

[Publicus]

This topic is getting seriously off-topic. It's time to re-adjust our comments to the topic at hand. I find the connections between PRC, North Korea and other countries quite interesting, but like the plane, let's try have our comments land in Thailand for refueling.

Please but as long as we're this far afield, can I add a few additional blatherings?

It's not surprising that the Chinese have difficulty with innovation and have a culture of copying. For more than 2,000 years the best minds in the country spent their time merely analyzing and regurgitating Confucius. The mindset was that all the known worthwhile knowledge had been discovered and the ideal was a perfect understanding of that.

Rote teaching is still widespread. In a similar way students are taught that all important knowledge is contained "in this box" and their task is to master what's in it.

But that is changing very rapidly. The Chinese are certainly intelligent and after finally being intensively exposed to outside thought over the past 30 years, they are coming up with quality creative innovations of their own.

They are also smart enough to know that to achieve sustainable modernization, they will have to not only copy and learn from the West, but also allow its experts and professionals enough of the action to keep them engaged, so one can actually be successful as a foreigner in China. This is where Thailand and China profoundly diverge.

Yes and if I may beg the matter with one additional post, for the record, the Chinese treat me very well so no one posting here should or need be concerned that the PRC is an unhappy place for the foreign devil. I'm treated very well and more than satisfied personally and professionally. I've had to fight some battles for freedoms I'm accustomed to and which are routinely a part of everyday life in Thailand, but I've been accommodated, no hard feelings on either side (perhaps some new respect).  

Also, the uni gives me the books for my courses, which primarily are with majors in English and also International Trade and Economics, and leaves me alone. There aren't any cops among the students in my classes (as there always were in Thailand). I like my classes, especially the new freshman who for the most part are a new breed/generation of open minded students; most are from newly thriving urban areas and are much faster and independent minded than the kids from the countryside or their upperclass students at the uni. 

I have private discussions with students and faculty (separately) which are revealing to both they and I in respect to life, culture and society in the PRC and in the USA. 

As farang we know there has to be give and take between the local culture and the foreign cultures of the various farang. As has been pointed out, the Thais are in their box and are immovable. And as has been pointed out, the Chinese had chosen to isolate themselves from the world for more than 3,000 years so, consequently, they know very little about people, places and things not Chinese. The thousands years old Chinese certainties ferd54 refers to remain strong and deeply ingrained in the culture so must be tolerated throughout each day, but the Chinese are willing to hear how to treat the foreign devil differently than how their new dynasty the Communist Party instructs them to treat one other.

Positive changes have begun in PRChina. I'm doing the Speaking Tests now with my English classes and a favorite topic is the impact of the West on the culture of China. The Communist Party Cadre who one hour a week indoctrinate students from middle school thru uni would be appalled, aghast, to hear my students speak on the topic, the freshmen especially.   

The old habits are strong and die slowly and hard, but at long last it's true that the times they're a changin'. Quite so.

[webfact]

//Please stay on topic. This is the last warning

[webfact]

Landing of arms plane from North Korea a surprise: Suthep

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban on Wednesday said Thai authorities were surprised about the fuelling stop of the arms plane on Saturday since the same aircraft was earlier searched during the transit stop enroute to Pyongyang from Ukraine.

"It was a complete surpirse and I guess the arms smugglers were so confident Thai authourities would not impound the weapons," he said.

Suthep said although the earlier search found no illicit cargos, this should have alerted about the Thai suspicion of arms smuggling.

-- The Nation 2009/12/16

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

[Publicus]

NK is in deep do-do for this one, cause as Ban Ki Moon stated, it's going all the way to the UN Security Council. The seizure also should make arms and drug dealers everywhere rethink involving Thailand in their transit plans. 

[animatic]

One must note the direct connections between'

North Korea's hunt for funds to maintain their form of autocratic communism,

and

the stand offish pragmatism of the new version of PRC Communism,

that gives impetus, if not tacit approval, to N. K.'s acquisitiveness and

international destabilization for profit. Which created this flight of arms.

They are tied together like a little finger to hand in a too tight glove, on a sub zero day.

It may cause the hand to get painful for the constricture, but not as bad as

removing the glove entirely. Therein lies China's problem with N. Korea.

They can't openly support the nutters like in the old days,

but can't completely close them down from retrograde fears of

USA S.K. approaching their border another inch closer.

Of course as note S. K. doesn't want to go the East/West germany route for any reason.

But convince PRC of that. HA!

Edited December 16, 2009 by animatic

[LaoPo]

Landing of arms plane from North Korea a surprise: Suthep

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban on Wednesday said Thai authorities were surprised about the fuelling stop of the arms plane on Saturday since the same aircraft was earlier searched during the transit stop enroute to Pyongyang from Ukraine.

"It was a complete surpirse and I guess the arms smugglers were so confident Thai authourities would not impound the weapons," he said.

Suthep said although the earlier search found no illicit cargos, this should have alerted about the Thai suspicion of arms smuggling.

That's why I questioned the same before and why they didn't land in (example) another communistic state like Laos or Vietnam. One way or the other: they MUST have passed either around China or via China but both ways, Vietnam and/or Laos would have been the first countries to land.

The Thai authorities were familiar with this plane and knew it since it landed in BKK on the way so SK.

LaoPo

[geriatrickid]

Yes, the Chinese strictly enforce overflight regulations as do Russia and the USA and most other countries with air tracking capabilities. It's all about revenue. You pay a fee to overfly a country. There are even air safety rules. For example, Canadian airlines which over fly the USA are obliged to provide passenger manifests which must be cleared. Any flight having a person on the "do not fly' list is not allowed into US airspace. All countries guard their airspace corridors, even Thailand. Nothing sinister, nothing new.

And yes, the Chinese seem to have a bad habit of spying on foreign universities and industrial centers. Nothing new there. The Canadian Security & Intelligence Service has placed Chinese sponsored industrial espionage as a high priority. That view is also shared by Australian and other intelligence agencies. These are hardly aggressive agencies either. The information gathering even occurs in Thailand, but it is in respect to data gathering like rice harvest data. US & EU universities invest billions in their R&D and their greatest fear isn't terrorism, it's the theft of intellectual capital by 3rd parties. Considering the state of academic R&D in Thailand, I'm going to make a wild guess and say Thailand is safe.

I can't believe this is the 2nd time in a week I am in agreement with Animatic. Animatic must have been absorbed by aliens or something.

Still hoping for an explanation or further investigation of why the Belarus and kazahkstan embassies moves so fast on behalf of their nationals.

BTW, does Thailand get to keep the aircraft if it was used to break the International sanctions?

[brahmburgers]

Thai authorities involved with the search and seizure of the weapons (and plane?) can take justifiable pride in what they accomplished recently. However, I don't see it as affecting the overall lax mood of Thai security throughout Thailand.

I don't want to see a police state, but neither do I want to see a Bali bombing-type tragedy. The few times I get to heavily touristy parts of Thailand, I have sensed that overall security in such places is overly lax or non-existent - particularly with an on-going insurgency in the South. Perhaps there are a bunch of precautionary measures going on behind the scenes that I'm not aware of. If so, that's good, as long as it doesn't trample of innocent peoples' rights.

Let's hope there's not a Mumbai-type atrocity looming in Phuket's or Bkk's or Pattaya's future. But if so, let's hope Thai special forces can respond effectively and swiftly. Incidentally, a close look at the events recently in Mumbai (where two deluxe hotels and a Jewish home were attacked by Pakistani militants), revealed that India's elite rapid response force were quite slow in getting to the action, as they had to come overland from far away New Delhi.

[LaoPo]

And yes, the Chinese seem to have a bad habit of spying on foreign universities and industrial centers. Nothing new there. The Canadian Security & Intelligence Service has placed Chinese sponsored industrial espionage as a high priority. That view is also shared by Australian and other intelligence agencies. These are hardly aggressive agencies either. The information gathering even occurs in Thailand, but it is in respect to data gathering like rice harvest data. US & EU universities invest billions in their R&D and their greatest fear isn't terrorism, it's the theft of intellectual capital by 3rd parties.

We've been warned already a few times not to go off topic anymore and I would like to answer but I better not

LaoPo

[Credo]

Thailand is a resonably safe place because it is and has long been a transit point and safe haven for criminals and terrorists--and that's not a stab at Thailand. The relative ease of getting a visa means that a lot of people can get in and out of the country easily. So, if an undesirable wants to lay low, have a meeting or just a holiday. This is a good place to do it. Corruption also means that a few greased palms can keep you out of harms way. If these people start messing around in the country, then the problem starts.

Geopolitically, Thailand plays all sides of the fence. They really don't support anyone and they really aren't against anyone. Difficult to classify them as a friend or an enemy. No reason to begin bombing things here--except maybe out of frustration.

Within the country the security forces keep a close eye on things. People are suspicious of outsiders and things are noted. People talk and the police and security folks know what's going on. This is especially true with the Muslim community and the people from the South. I live in an area that has a high Muslim population. I travel on a regular basis to another part of the city (BKK) with a high Muslim population. I seldom run into road blocks, except in the areas that are Muslim.

As Thailand takes a more active role in International Affairs, such as this plane incident, it will increase it's chances of becoming a target. But for now, worry more about the Reds, Yellows and Blues raising havoc.

[LTGTR]

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.

-- AFP 2009-12-12

But I thought that it just ran out of fuel.

As a holder of a commercial pilots license I can promise that international flights don't run out of fuel, except for one 737 where the refueler got the metric system confused and it glided from 30,000ft unbelievably to a safe landing.

This whole thread is a comedy, love it

Being the holder of a commercial license,I would have though you'd have been familiar with the Avianca crash in New York that ran out of fuel.It happens....

Yes that 737 landing in Louisiana was an indredibly amazing feat.And it was a new acft,IIRC.

[Bagwan]

Information about the type of weapons on the plane cannot be confirmed until the results of an official joint inspection of the cargo yesterday afternoon, by six military and civilian agencies, is officially released.

The six agencies are the airforce and police ordnance departments, the Police Crime Suppression Division, the Attorney General's Office, National Intelligence Commission and the police Special Branch.

He said many west European countries had expressed interest in witnessing the inspection process.

Panitan said he was not sure if a bounty would be awarded to Thailand or local authorities who uncovered the weapons.

He said UN or local weapons inspectors could request travel and commodity expenses under normal procedures.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said later Thailand may request UN funds for further inspection of the weapons. He said Thailand would work closely with the UN in handling the matter.

CSD deputy chief Pol Colonel Suphisal Phakdee-naruenart, who jointly inspected the weapons, said Sri Lanka was the next stop on the aircraft's flight log but further inquiries were being made to determine if that was the plane's real destination.

-- The Nation 2009/12/16

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

How many Thais does it take to make out a list of the weapons?

How many inspections are likely to be held?

Why is Thailand trying to make a few shekels out of this?

Why does any European country want to witness any further inspection? Surely they know what a rocket launcher looks like.

What are commodity expenses? Are they same same as subsistence allowances?

[elshaheen]

Ah, Victor Bout is back in business again. I knew from the moment he was released from detention here in Thailand and flew back to Moscow he would connect back with his old company Air West.

So simple. Someone orders a shipment of arms or other items. Have the plane bound for another country such as Siri Lanka from North Korea, it so happens to have developed a problem and is forced to land in Thailand.

Someone in Thailand made a deal with him before he left.

Great business man.

[rainman]

Abhisit said it was not yet clear who the intended buyers of the weapons were and cited a Crime Suppression Division (CSD) report that English-language instructions found on the boxes meant the weapons could not have been sent from North Korea.

Wow ...some amazing logic from Abhisit right there. Of course they couldn't come from North Korea if it was written in English, since there is no way that anyone in North Korea could write English, right?

[LaoPo]

Il-76 crew detained in Thailand faces death penalty

16.12.2009, 11.17

BANGKOK, December 16 (Itar-Tass) --Il--76 crew detained in the capital of Thailand with a weaponry cargo aboard might face a death penalty, head of the Police department on crime control briefed journalists on Wednesday.

In his words the detainees will be charged with new accusations. Under Thai legislation the penalty for illegal storage of weapons varies from 2 years term in prison to death penalty.

End of last week transport plane Il-76 landed in Bagkok Don Muang airport for refuelling. The representatives of Thai authorities found "ground-air" missiles, explosives and amunition aboard the plane. Meanwhile, the cargo was indicated in the documents as oil-drilling equipment. The country of destination of the weaponry has not been identified yet.

Itar-Tass: http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/prnt.html?NewsID=14644629

LaoPo

[LaoPo]

Ah, Victor Bout is back in business again. I knew from the moment he was released from detention here in Thailand and flew back to Moscow he would connect back with his old company Air West.

Where did you get that information ?

Victor (Viktor) Bout is in a Thai prison, Klong Prem Central Prison, a high security prison and the same prison as where the Ilyushin-76 crew is detained.

LaoPo

[LaoPo]

Report: Plane impounded in Thailand contained missile parts for Iran

Dec. 16, 2009

JPost.com Staff , THE JERUSALEM POST

Weapons seized in Thailand from an impounded plane traveling from North Korea were likely destined for Iran, a high-ranking Thai government security official was quoted by Reuters as saying regarding the findings of a team investigating the arms.

"Some experts believe the weapons may be going to Iran, which has bought arms from North Korea in the past," said the official.

The official was quoted as saying the Thai investigating team considered Iran the likely destination because of the type of weaponry, including unassembled Taepodong-2 missile parts.

The North Korean missile is a product of joint efforts with Teheran, developed in conjunction with Iran's Shehab-5 and Shehab-6 missiles.

The Jerusalem Post

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid...icle%2FShowFull

LaoPo