Nine Of 92 Thais Jailed In Myanmar Confess Illegal Holding Of Military Weapons

[webfact]

Nine of 92 Thais jailed in Myanmar confess illegal holding of military weapons

RANONG, Aug 3 -- Myanmar's Township Border Committee (TBC) at Kawthaung province informed its Thai counterpart in Ranong that nine of the 92 Thais jailed in Myanmar have confessed to charges of illegal possession of military weapons.

The nine Thais will be receiving an additional jail term on top of the three and a half years prison for illegal entry and deforestation.

A court in Myanmar’s Kawthaung province sentenced the 92 Thais to three years and six months each for deforestation and illegal entry, the first two of five counts of which all were charged.

The punishment did not include other three counts under investigation by the Myanmar authorities; growing illicit drugs including cannabis and kratom leaf; possession of firearms and military weapons and obstruction of official duties.

The Ranong border committee officials said that they were informed by the Myanmar committee that nine of the 92 have admitted that they had illegally possessed firearms and military weapons. However, they claimed that the arms were for self protection as the area where they stayed was in the forest.

The weapons included M16 and AK47 rifles, handguns, hand grenades and homemade bombs.

The Myanmar officials who were especially sent from the central government to handle the case did not name the nine Thai nationals. They will conclude the case and forward it to the court for trial.

The 92 Thai villagers -- 82 men and 10 women -- were detained for encroaching onto Myanmar territory. The detainees maintain they were lured by a broker to clear the land which they later learned was beyond the areas authorised by the Myanmar officials for Thais to use for cultivation. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-08-03

[webfact]

9 detainees confess owning war weapons

The Nation

RANONG: -- Nine of the 92 Thais being detained in Myanmar confessed to possessing war weapons after undergoing two days of intensive grilling by a new team of interrogators, a military source said yesterday.

The nine detainees will face prosecution at a later date, even though they have been insisting that the firearms were meant for selfprotection. They reportedly possessed M16 and AK47 assault rifles, hand grenades, handguns and homemade bombs.

Myanmar authorities' efforts to single out those who possessed war weapons prolonged the legal process after all 92 detainees were convicted for illegal entry and encroaching on Myanmar land. They were all subsequently sentenced to threeandahalfyears in prison about two weeks ago.

The authorities then dispatched a new team of interrogators and officials with expertise in encroachment and other related laws to start a new legal process against the detainees because the officials at hand lacked the skills needed for the job, the source added.

Colonel Pornsak Phoolsawat, who heads the local ThaiMyanmar border committee, said the case of the 83 detainees would be handed over to the federal Myanmar government for consideration of a possible pardon or reduction in the sentence in line with President Thein Sein's promise. During his official visit to Thailand last month, Thein Sein had promised that he would push for leniency for the detainees.

-- The Nation 2012-08-03

[Moruya]

Bombs and grenades for protection?

Sounds like red shirts!

[Skywalker69]

The weapons included M16 and AK47 rifles, handguns, hand grenades and homemade bombs.

Was this weapons inwolved in the Red Shirt "terror activities in Bangkok? Ballistics please. Edited August 3, 2012 by Skywalker69

[jerrysteve]

Well lets hope the Powers that be in Mynamar don't let them out of bail like the Nincompoops here do!

[Pib]

They'll keep them long enough to make it very painful and send a message to other folks who might be thinking about straying across the border to cut trees.

[backtonormal]

Bombs and grenades for protection?

Sounds like red shirts!

I can remember the time when this forum did not have every thread redirected to anti red or anti Thakin. Ranong - not red shirt area and the last time I looked the biggest holders of AK47, M16 firearms and explosives was the army, rangers etc. On the quiet the army have a reputation for dealing in illicit drugs and logging...over to you

[apetley]

Bombs and grenades for protection?

Sounds like red shirts!

I can remember the time when this forum did not have every thread redirected to anti red or anti Thakin. Ranong - not red shirt area and the last time I looked the biggest holders of AK47, M16 firearms and explosives was the army, rangers etc. On the quiet the army have a reputation for dealing in illicit drugs and logging...over to you

It may surprise you that the army has a reason for possessing firearms...it's part of their work kit.

Farmers on the other hand have little reason to have automatic weapons and grenades.

Sent from my GT-I9003 using Thaivisa Connect App

[Moruya]

Bombs and grenades for protection?

Sounds like red shirts!

I can remember the time when this forum did not have every thread redirected to anti red or anti Thakin. Ranong - not red shirt area and the last time I looked the biggest holders of AK47, M16 firearms and explosives was the army, rangers etc. On the quiet the army have a reputation for dealing in illicit drugs and logging...over to you

You're quite right. Cheap shot.

However these guys don't sound to me like they were having a teddy bears' picnic in the woods. Growing drugs on encroached land and armed to the teeth would imply otherwise.

Why is the government seemingly doing all it can for them when had they done the same on Thai soil the fate would be far worse.......

[OzMick]

Bombs and grenades for protection?

Sounds like red shirts!

I can remember the time when this forum did not have every thread redirected to anti red or anti Thakin. Ranong - not red shirt area and the last time I looked the biggest holders of AK47, M16 firearms and explosives was the army, rangers etc. On the quiet the army have a reputation for dealing in illicit drugs and logging...over to you

It may surprise you that the army has a reason for possessing firearms...it's part of their work kit.

Farmers on the other hand have little reason to have automatic weapons and grenades.

Sent from my GT-I9003 using Thaivisa Connect App

"Farmers on the other hand have little reason to have automatic weapons and grenades."

And they have even less reason to bring them to a "peaceful protest" in BKK.............well, except for orders from their "leaders".

[Roadman]

What is obvious is that current military weapons are readily available throughout Thailand and its borders.

So when the frenzied Red supporters on the counter handling of Thaksins attack on Bangkok in 2010 are saying such and such was shot by a military weapon, that does not give any credence to the shooter being from the military.

[belg]

hey, someone has to protect their illegal stuff, why was there no BIB to protect them for the right fee ?