Phuket expat, wife arrested for M16 assault rifle in car

[Lite Beer]

Phuket expat, wife arrested for M16 assault rifle in car

An M16A4 assault rifle. Police did not give information regarding which variant of the M16 was found in the couple's car.

PHUKET: Phuket police early this morning arrested a long-term expat and his wife after finding what they identified as an M16 automatic assault rifle with a loaded clip in the back of their car.

Thung Thong Police Duty Officer Lt Col Chana Suttimard told the Phuket Gazette, “At 4am today, police arrested Ivan Vaclavik, 43, from Slovakia, and 32-year-old Phuket-native Suppasa Chuyyamukkasik.

“Both are residents of Kathu. They live in a residential estate near the Loch Palm Golf Course and have two children together,” he explained.

The couple had just left the Isarn Return Pub and Restaurant near Kathu market and were driving towards Patong when they were arrested.

“I have yet to be informed of the full details of what happened. At this stage all I know is that the officers involved believed the couple were ‘acting suspiciously’ and so they stopped and searched the vehicle,” Lt Col Chana said.

“In the back of the car, a white Honda CR-V, they found an M16 and one magazine loaded with ammunition,” he said.

The M16 is the primary service rifle of the United States Military, with semi-automatic and fully-automatic variants. Police did not provide information regarding which variant the rifle found in Mr Vaclavik’s car was.

During questioning Mr Vaclavik told Lt Col Chana that he had just returned from a trip abroad on his yacht, which was moored at a marina at Ao Por.

“He said that his yacht needed repairs and so he had to take everything off the boat while repairs were being done. That included the M16, which he put in the back of his car,” Lt Col Chana said.

Mr Vaclavik said he bought the assault rifle in the Philippines and that he bought it only for self-defense, as sometimes during his trips abroad he needs to sail into the dangerous pirate-infested waters off Somalia, he added.

Mr Vaclavik was charged with possession of an illegal firearm and carrying a firearm in a public place, while Mrs Suppasa was also charged with possession of an illegal firearm.

Both are being held at Phuket Provincial Prison.

They are to be presented to Phuket Provincial Court on Monday, said Lt Col Chana.

Mr Vaclavik has lived in Phuket for about 15 years, police said.

Until recently, he was a partner-owner in the Phuket Tropical Inn resort on Nanai Road in Patong.

“He is no longer involved in the hotel. He sold his partnership six months ago,” a staff member at the hotel told the Phuket Gazette today.

One local media report speculated that the arrest may have been the result of a possible business dispute.

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/archives/articles/2011/article11424.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2011-11-12

[LivinginKata]

It's amazing what some people carry in the back of their car ..... ooops

[jpinx]

As usual -- there must be a LOT more to this story than is reported here

[KarenBravo]

It's amazing what some people carry in the back of their car ..... ooops

Perfectly legitimate......many, many yachties have a fully automatic gun onboard as protection against pirates. Usually an M16 or, an AK47.

It was just unfortunate that he had to bring his gun ashore.

[Jimi007]

As usual -- there must be a LOT more to this story than is reported here

You're right. I read a much different account of the story on the news source that doesn't want any connection to Thaivisa a couple of hours ago. KB must have read the same article...

Edited November 12, 2011 by Jimi007

[LivinginKata]

It's amazing what some people carry in the back of their car ..... ooops

Perfectly legitimate......many, many yachties have a fully automatic gun onboard as protection against pirates. Usually an M16 or, an AK47.

It was just unfortunate that he had to bring his gun ashore.

Perfectly legitimate in the back of his car in Thailand. I don't think so. Sure, on his yacht on the high seas ... just fine.

[KarenBravo]

It's amazing what some people carry in the back of their car ..... ooops

Perfectly legitimate......many, many yachties have a fully automatic gun onboard as protection against pirates. Usually an M16 or, an AK47.

It was just unfortunate that he had to bring his gun ashore.

Perfectly legitimate in the back of his car in Thailand. I don't think so. Sure, on his yacht on the high seas ... just fine.

That's not what I said, is it?

Perfectly legitimate if you have a yacht.

Didn't the sentence "pity he had to bring it ashore" give you some kind of clue?

Edited November 12, 2011 by KarenBravo

[LivinginKata]

As usual -- there must be a LOT more to this story than is reported here

You're right. I read a much different account of the story on the news source that doesn't want any connection to Thaivisa a couple of hours ago. KB must have read the same article...

That other source claims the gun is a bushmaster xm15-e2s. That's a lot different from M16. Oh well we will all have to wait and hear how this pans out ... as usual.

[Jimi007]

As usual -- there must be a LOT more to this story than is reported here

You're right. I read a much different account of the story on the news source that doesn't want any connection to Thaivisa a couple of hours ago. KB must have read the same article...

That other source claims the gun is a bushmaster xm15-e2s. That's a lot different from M16. Oh well we will all have to wait and hear how this pans out ... as usual.

Yes... The suspects are also in that picture with the gun unlike the PG article and it surely doesn't look like an M-16...

Edited November 12, 2011 by Jimi007

[KarenBravo]

If yachties have to have a weapon to use against pirates, I wouldn't be shocked if they found an RPG. The bigger the better.

[Jimi007]

If yachties have to have a weapon to use against pirates, I wouldn't be shocked if they found an RPG. The bigger the better.

Agreed! A friend used to carry a LAWS rocket aboard...

[jpinx]

If yachties have to have a weapon to use against pirates, I wouldn't be shocked if they found an RPG. The bigger the better.

That'd be a one-shot wonder -- better to have something to hose them down with hot lead as well

The pirate situation is grim everywhere now and being armed is a two-edged sword. I gave up sailing about ten years ago and chucked the arsenal into the briny.

Not sure what the relevant customs and other authorities would say to an armed-to-the-teeth yacht trying to enter some UK/US/OZ port.

[MrRed]

If yachties have to have a weapon to use against pirates, I wouldn't be shocked if they found an RPG. The bigger the better.

That'd be a one-shot wonder -- better to have something to hose them down with hot lead as well

The pirate situation is grim everywhere now and being armed is a two-edged sword. I gave up sailing about ten years ago and chucked the arsenal into the briny.

Not sure what the relevant customs and other authorities would say to an armed-to-the-teeth yacht trying to enter some UK/US/OZ port.

Exactly my take on this,are you allowed arms at sea then?

[jpinx]

"Allowed" implies there is an authority in control of the situation outside territorial waters. There are no controls on the high seas until something goes badly wrong and even then they are of extremely dubious effectiveness. I seem to remember reading about Dutch marines actually being on board dutch yachts as they passed Somalia. My apologies in advance if it was not the Dutch, but some country was doing that.

[Jimi007]

That'd be a one-shot wonder -- better to have something to hose them down with hot lead as well

The pirate situation is grim everywhere now and being armed is a two-edged sword. I gave up sailing about ten years ago and chucked the arsenal into the briny.

Not sure what the relevant customs and other authorities would say to an armed-to-the-teeth yacht trying to enter some UK/US/OZ port.

Exactly my take on this,are you allowed arms at sea then?

These are all legal in the US and therefore can be carried aboard a US flagged yacht.

[Guest]

These are all legal in the US and therefore can be carried aboard a US flagged yacht.

If that's a BB gun. Then maybe. If a real one, then no.

US flagged yacht is no the same as embassy, which belongs to the country of origin.

Otherwise all the harbors would be filled with Dutch flagged ships with loads of ganja on-board.

[Tywais]

These are all legal in the US and therefore can be carried aboard a US flagged yacht.

If that's a BB gun. Then maybe. If a real one, then no.

US flagged yacht is no the same as embassy, which belongs to the country of origin.

Otherwise all the harbors would be filled with Dutch flagged ships with loads of ganja on-board.

Actually the legality of carrying of firearms aboard a yacht is dependent upon the flag registration. In the US, owning firearms is legal in most, if not all, states and as such legal to carry on board a yacht. Some require registration such as handguns and some don't such as shotguns. The issue is the ports of passage where the laws of that country are required to be followed. In this case, Thailand, it would be illegal. But the port of departure would not have been.

Global Sea Security maintains that people have an intrinsic right to defend themselves and they believe every vessel should have lethal and nonlethal systems on board to ensure the best possible chance in dangerous situations.

But in carrying weapons, there are subsequent issues involving flag and port states, training and insurance.

Since flag states govern the yacht, if carrying firearms is illegal in your flag state – say your vessel is flagged out of the UK – it is not legal to carry firearms on board either. However, you also must obey the laws of the ports in which the vessel cruises, as one captain found out in 2009 when he was jailed in Mexico. Officials boarded his vessel to search for drugs and found several firearms that belonged to the owner. The captain was arrested for “introducing guns to Mexico.” The captain thought he had followed the proper procedure as he did declare the weapons to Customs, but he did not obtain a permit from the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Economy before he entered Mexico. He spent four months in prison.

dockwalk

Maritime Security

[Guest]

I was mainly thinking of the situations when the vessels come to the port or from the international zone to the country's waters.

I suppose this is one of the reasons why commercial ships are not equipped with firearms. While being in international water, there is no problem, but when they get to the ports, receiving countries would not be happy to welcome foreign firearms to their area.

Earlier there was discussion about the help of the US carrier and how it would have needed an invitation to come to help with Thai floods. Is this the case of all the US navy visits here in Phuket as well. All the ships need to be invited to the port, before they can enter?

[jonnyscot]

Agreed,, if carrying, the bigger the better or not at all,,, only last week we had a situation only 4km from our position offshore Nigeria,,, and that was with an armed security gunboat patrolling the area and opening fire on them,, the gunboat still didn't deter these pirates who returned fire on the gunboat,, only when another 2 security gunboats arrived on the field did the pirate ship turn away.

If yachties have to have a weapon to use against pirates, I wouldn't be shocked if they found an RPG. The bigger the better.

[smokie36]

I had a taxi driver on the way to Phuket Town stop his cab and proudly show me his military weapon by the roadside.

Not as impressive as an M16...but I paid the bill and offered a tip nonetheless!

[snamos]

Its aplausible excuse..I know a lovely old yachtie and he explained to me that he carried a shotgun on all his international voyages...I was a bit shocked...he told me he dumped it before his arrival into Phuket because he knew he was staying. There was another rich Australian that got caught with some in Bali on a yacht, caused international headlines

So its not uncommon.

But still if this guy that got caught packing the M16 has lived here for 15 years then why does he still need it?

Edited November 13, 2011 by snamos

[stevenl]

These are all legal in the US and therefore can be carried aboard a US flagged yacht.

If that's a BB gun. Then maybe. If a real one, then no.

US flagged yacht is no the same as embassy, which belongs to the country of origin.

Otherwise all the harbors would be filled with Dutch flagged ships with loads of ganja on-board.

Why? Ganja or hasjies are illegal in the Netherlands.

[katabeachbum]

gun not Th lisenced, illegal on shore. fully atomatic guns can not be lisenced in TH.

a lisenced gun can not hold more than 10 bullets, in this case it seems to be holding 26

when transporting lisenced gun, gun in car needs to be in trunk, and bullets separated from gun, like in locked glovecompartment,

these guys are in deep shit

[LivinginKata]

these guys are in deep shit

Yes, got to agree with that assessment.

[Old Croc]

Same gun used by the Beltway Snipers to kill 10 people in Washington in 2002.

[bino]

When arriving in Bermuda by sea, captains are required to declare any firearms on board, and turn them over to Customs for the duration of the yacht's stay there.

In the Bahamas, yachts are required to declare firearms (and every round of ammunition) to Bahamian Customs, and leave firearms on the boat (in a secure compartment) while in The Bahamas. In the event of your being boarded by Customs or the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, the information on your cruising permit will be checked carefully against your actual supply. Ammo’ must match cruising permit exactly.

In the US Virgin Islands, firearms must be declared and need a permit that can be obtained from customs on arrival.

Antigua and Barbuda customs authorities may enforce strict regulations concerning temporary importation into or export from Antigua and Barbuda of items such as firearms. Fire arms must be declared and if customs are satisfied that they are safely secured, you may be allowed to keep them on board.

Vessels entering Mexican waters with firearms or ammunition on board must have a permit previously issued by the Mexican Embassy, or a Mexican consulate. Mariners do NOT avoid prosecution by declaring their weapons at the port of entry. Before traveling, mariners who have obtained a Mexican firearms permit should contact Mexican port officials to receive guidance on the specific procedures used to report and secure weapons and ammunition. Entering Mexico with a firearm, some kinds of knives or even a single round of ammunition is illegal, even if the firearm or ammunition is taken into Mexico unintentionally. The Mexican government strictly enforces its laws restricting the entry of firearms and ammunition along all land borders and at air and seaports. Violations have resulted in arrests, convictions, and long prison sentences for U.S. citizens.

United Kingdom: Firearms and ammunition, including gas pistols and similar weapons, may not be imported.

Long story short... every country has laws regarding the importation of firearms. It is the responsibility of the captain / yacht owner to find out the applicable laws for all ports and countries prior to entrance and comply accordingly.

[Hooters]

A strong example to think twice before road raging

[MrRed]

When arriving in Bermuda by sea, captains are required to declare any firearms on board, and turn them over to Customs for the duration of the yacht's stay there.

In the Bahamas, yachts are required to declare firearms (and every round of ammunition) to Bahamian Customs, and leave firearms on the boat (in a secure compartment) while in The Bahamas. In the event of your being boarded by Customs or the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, the information on your cruising permit will be checked carefully against your actual supply. Ammo' must match cruising permit exactly.

In the US Virgin Islands, firearms must be declared and need a permit that can be obtained from customs on arrival.

Antigua and Barbuda customs authorities may enforce strict regulations concerning temporary importation into or export from Antigua and Barbuda of items such as firearms. Fire arms must be declared and if customs are satisfied that they are safely secured, you may be allowed to keep them on board.

Vessels entering Mexican waters with firearms or ammunition on board must have a permit previously issued by the Mexican Embassy, or a Mexican consulate. Mariners do NOT avoid prosecution by declaring their weapons at the port of entry. Before traveling, mariners who have obtained a Mexican firearms permit should contact Mexican port officials to receive guidance on the specific procedures used to report and secure weapons and ammunition. Entering Mexico with a firearm, some kinds of knives or even a single round of ammunition is illegal, even if the firearm or ammunition is taken into Mexico unintentionally. The Mexican government strictly enforces its laws restricting the entry of firearms and ammunition along all land borders and at air and seaports. Violations have resulted in arrests, convictions, and long prison sentences for U.S. citizens.

United Kingdom: Firearms and ammunition, including gas pistols and similar weapons, may not be imported.

Long story short... every country has laws regarding the importation of firearms. It is the responsibility of the captain / yacht owner to find out the applicable laws for all ports and countries prior to entrance and comply accordingly.

Thanks for the clear post

[mezzy]

Heading towards Patong at 4am when they live near Loch Palm, with a loaded weapon in the back, did they get lost on their way home? Or was he hoping to go do some early morning fishing?

I'd really like to know what constitutes 'acting suspiciously' as well.

[ScubaBuddha]

That other source claims the gun is a bushmaster xm15-e2s. That's a lot different from M16. Oh well we will all have to wait and hear how this pans out ... as usual.

Actually the Bushmaster XM-15, like the AR-15 and M-4, are all variants of the M-16. They look very similar, and are indistinguishable to the untrained eye (of which I include myself even after carrying an XM-15 for years.) You get into swapping the standard stock with a collapsible one, changing barrel length, 30 round mag vs 20 round mag, adding flash suppressors, laser sights, barrel handles and scopes, it's hard to see the similarity. But if you look close, it's virtually the same upper and lower receiver and grip.

Modern Bushmaster XM-15 e2s

Vietnam era M-16