Weapons Theft In Thailand Should Be No Surprise

[webfact]

EDITORIAL

Weapons theft in Thailand should be no surprise

By The Nation

The latest in a long line of break-ins at arms depots is a reflection of this country's culture of impunity

The first incident was reported on September 2, when a door at Warehouse 69 in the Army's Ordnance Department compound in Lop Buri was discovered left open. An inspection showed that 9,000 M60 machine-gun rounds and 10 RPG2 rockets had gone missing.

The next incident was reported three days later, when signs of a break-in were detected at the same warehouse, and 60 RPG-2 rockets and another 31 rockets were found wrapped up and ready for transport.

Last week, police arrested a sergeant and three civilians for allegedly stealing military weapons from the arms depot in Lop Buri province. The suspects include Sergeant Sema Khotchaphate, who is assigned to an artillery unit in the province, and contract employees Somkiat Luenloy and Nopphorn Suriwong. The fourth man arrested was Ekkachai Lamchum. Police were also looking for a fifth accomplice, Thaworn Rakbun.

As is typical in Thailand, there was immediate confusion, as people who stand to lose face began to look for ways to either cover their own hides or discredit their opponents for selfish political gain. Never mind what the truth may be.

The problem of the illicit sale of small arms in Thailand should not be taken lightly. Since the end of the Cold War, many Thais connected to high places have benefited handsomely from conflicts in neighbouring countries, be it Burma, Cambodia or Indonesia.

When the civil war in Cambodia ended, some of our country's finest became brokers overseeing the sale and transport of weapons from the killing fields to the notorious Golden Triangle. For some reason, the Thai merchants of death have always been happy to deal with rebels and insurgent groups of whatever hue. Is this because we Thais love freedom fighters so much? After all, "Thai" does mean "free".

As in the past, the named suspects in this case are low-ranking personnel. Again, typically for Thailand, and for as long as anybody can remember, the highest ranking officers to be arrested in connection with these incidents are always sergeants, never generals.

In the mid-1990s, there was a warehouse full of weapons from Cambodia uncovered, reportedly en route to the Burmese ethnic armies. About five years later, there was an Army pickup truck with flat tyres, full of small arms, that had just left the front gate of the Khor Hong camp in Songkhla. Reportedly, that cache was part of a larger shipment going to Aceh to assist the Free Aceh Movement (Gam) fighters in their struggle to win independence from Indonesia. We can only guess how much has gone undetected from other similar thefts.

Just months ago, there was a large shipment of weapons on a cargo plane that landed in Bangkok from North Korea. And we hardly need to mention the notorious "merchant of death", Viktor Bout, who is currently sitting in a Thai jail pending extradition to the US to face charges of illegal arms sales to terrorist groups.

We blame men like Bout for tarnishing Thailand's image, but it is the Thai political and military elite who have turned this country into an international hub for the illicit arms trade.

Given the ongoing political crisis, there is now a nasty tendency to point fingers without looking at the problem. Some in the government are suggesting that the anti-government red shirts are behind these latest incidents. Just as unabashed is the opposition, which has been quick to blame the current administration.

On the other hand, there have been attempts to link this theft to the United Wa State Army (UWSA), a self-styled drug army in the Golden Triangle region, with 25,000 foot soldiers, long considered Thailand's public enemy number one. But if we take a closer look at the rebel armies along the Thai-Burma and Thai-Sino-Burma borders, RPGs are not their weapon of choice because of the mountainous terrain. These rebels are not a conventional force battling tanks and armoured vehicles. They prefer the traditional Kalashnikov rifle.

Obviously, the truth lies somewhere, but nobody - politicians and military personnel in particular - will be really concerned about seeking it out. The only thing we can be assured of is that there will be more than enough blame to go around.

-- The Nation 2010-09-28

[gotlost]

And Thailand wants nuclear power plants.

[siamtexan]

Reported is the rifles and rocket launchers that go missing, but what about the unreported or unaccounted for cases of hand grenades, mines, C-4, and numerous other war items so easily passed through the gates and into the hands of others with ill intent.

[hoaker]

We blame men like Bout for tarnishing Thailand's image

Here goes the blame game again. Image? what image? oohh....the corrupted officials, police extortion units, weapons theft by the elite and let sergeants take the fall, muder without justice.....Viktor couldn't tarnish this any further if he tried...

[tomyummer]

We blame men like Bout for tarnishing Thailand's image

Here goes the blame game again. Image? what image? oohh....the corrupted officials, police extortion units, weapons theft by the elite and let sergeants take the fall, muder without justice.....Viktor couldn't tarnish this any further if he tried...

Maybe we need Viktor to manage the Thai armories. At least he would keep better tabs on the stock.

[KoratFarang]

There is something the reporter from the nation have completely misunderstood the meaning of the word THAI and where it comes from.

For approx. 1000 years ago some Englishmen came to thailand for first time they had never seen these people before and did not know what to call them. As the days went passed, there was one thing that went on again and again, these people could sleep all the time.

one of the Englishmen came to think of the english word tired, so Thai comes from tired, because it is simular in pronoundsing .

Edited September 28, 2010 by KoratFarang

[colinscarr]

A big part of the problem here and elsewhere is that ordinary decent Thais honour those higher up the greasy pole than themselves - even if those higher ups got there by robbery, profiteering, murder or whatever other devious and dishonest means.

It's worth remembering that elites float to the top of the pot, just like scum!

[asiawatcher]

Typical disinformation and scaremongering by the Nation. What a stupid article - why did you not stick to the opening point. Low ranking military personnel knocking off 10 rockets, then another of about 60 + 30 RPG's. This in no way goes to constitute an arms deal, cross border. Check out what constitutes an arms deal. Get a grip on your pen or your ....

Amazing how the facts are now smeared and blown out of all proportion to arms race, Burma, Viktor Bout and all and sundry bullshit when the fact remains this is most likely arming red shirts and nut cases. Then smearing for cover up the loss of face irrespective of truth? Give me strength against imbeciles with badges or military who are incapable of extracting the truth from the ranks who stole the weapons. This may be Thailand but by and large the continuos and ongoing bumbling just amazes me, even at journalistic inabilities.

When all is said and done the

Edited September 28, 2010 by asiawatcher

[Lancelot]

Maybe we need Viktor to manage the Thai armories. At least he would keep better tabs on the stock.

I can't disagree with that atatement

[rammis35]

Lets see if I can put a couple of stories together. The military just ordered some armored personnel carriers and now someone has just stolen RPG rockets that can take out these carriers..... I wonder is there might be a connection?

[golferchin76]

There is something the reporter from the nation have completely misunderstood the meaning of the word THAI and where it comes from.

For approx. 1000 years ago some Englishmen came to thailand for first time they had never seen these people before and did not know what to call them. As the days went passed, there was one thing that went on again and again, these people could sleep all the time.

one of the Englishmen came to think of the english word tired, so Thai comes from tired, because it is simular in pronoundsing .

you are joking.

Thais actually came from the Dai people in the mountainous Yun Nan province. This 'Dai' people still exists in Yun Nan and you can find similarity in both people's culture.

[Foggy Bottom]

There is something the reporter from the nation have completely misunderstood the meaning of the word THAI and where it comes from.

For approx. 1000 years ago some Englishmen came to thailand for first time they had never seen these people before and did not know what to call them. As the days went passed, there was one thing that went on again and again, these people could sleep all the time.

one of the Englishmen came to think of the english word tired, so Thai comes from tired, because it is simular in pronoundsing .

you are joking.

Thais actually came from the Dai people in the mountainous Yun Nan province. This 'Dai' people still exists in Yun Nan and you can find similarity in both people's culture.

And "Dai", or more correctly "D'tai", comes from the Chinese phrasing of circa 1500 years ago meaning "Southern" - the "D'tai" were the "Southern Peoples".

In the same ilk, the "Shan" were called such as they were the "Western People of the Mountains".

The earliest D'tai in what is now Thailand were referred to as Tai - also meaning Southern but with a slight phonetic difference and meaning - more akin to "Peoples of the Further South".

Considering the popular belief is that Siam was renamed Thailand in 1939 due to Siam being the name given to it by westerners, does it not seem incongruous that the country adopted a name given to it by the northeastern Chinese before westerners had even been seen in the region? Perhaps there was an element of shared ancestry jealousy regarding the emerging possibility of Formosa being renamed Taiwan (Sweet Southerners?).

[dighambara]

There is something the reporter from the nation have completely misunderstood the meaning of the word THAI and where it comes from.

For approx. 1000 years ago some Englishmen came to thailand for first time they had never seen these people before and did not know what to call them. As the days went passed, there was one thing that went on again and again, these people could sleep all the time.

one of the Englishmen came to think of the english word tired, so Thai comes from tired, because it is simular in pronoundsing .

KORAT FARANG - Nice joke - HA HA

[dighambara]

There is something the reporter from the nation have completely misunderstood the meaning of the word THAI and where it comes from.

For approx. 1000 years ago some Englishmen came to thailand for first time they had never seen these people before and did not know what to call them. As the days went passed, there was one thing that went on again and again, these people could sleep all the time.

one of the Englishmen came to think of the english word tired, so Thai comes from tired, because it is simular in pronoundsing .

you are joking.

Thais actually came from the Dai people in the mountainous Yun Nan province. This 'Dai' people still exists in Yun Nan and you can find similarity in both people's culture.

Yes, the 'Dai' or 'Tai' people exist from Assam, India to Taiwan. Hill folks on Hainan Island and on Taiwan speak a dialect of the original language. as Thai, Lao and Shan are dialects of that ancient language.

[chainarong]

The only surprise is when they actually catch someone in the middle of stealing these secure weapons.

[tomyummer]

There is something the reporter from the nation have completely misunderstood the meaning of the word THAI and where it comes from.

For approx. 1000 years ago some Englishmen came to thailand for first time they had never seen these people before and did not know what to call them. As the days went passed, there was one thing that went on again and again, these people could sleep all the time.

one of the Englishmen came to think of the english word tired, so Thai comes from tired, because it is simular in pronoundsing .

you are joking.

Thais actually came from the Dai people in the mountainous Yun Nan province. This 'Dai' people still exists in Yun Nan and you can find similarity in both people's culture.

You mean they also steal?