Thaksin Hunts For Muslims Via Satellite

[george]

Spy satellites hired to hunt for weapons in the South

Authorities have hired three US spy satellites to search for military weapons stolen in an attack on a military base in the predominantly Muslim province of Narathiwat early this year, sources said yesterday.

The spy satellites were hired to search for the more than 300 weapons believed to be buried somewhere in the province, they said.

The three satellites, which passed over Thailand four or five times a day, could detect metal buried as deep as four meters over an area of 11 square metres, the sources said.

They said the government has paid millions of baht - Bt200,000 per satellite image - to the US, but so far the hi-tech snooping has failed to reveal a single clue as to the whereabouts of the weapons.

One of the three satellites was also reportedly hired by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to search for the fabled tonnes of gold reputedly left by the Japanese army in Li Jia cave in Kanchanaburi as it beat a hasty retreat from the Kingdom at the end of World War II.

Treasure-hunters are still looking for the gold as no satellite image has been released to confirm or deny its presence in the cave.

Besides the spy satellites, the government was also using unmanned gliders to patrol the area where the weapons are believed to be buried. It hoped the gliders would transmit photos of militants trying to unearth the weapons, the sources said.

They said the government had also spent more than Bt22 million to install technology to intercept telephone conversations in Narathiwat in the hope that this would lead to the arrest of militants involved in recent bombings.

The government is in making an all-out effort to control the outbreak of violence that has rocked the South since January 4 when militants raided Narathiwat's Rajanakarin military camp, killing four soldiers and making off with the weapons.

Violent attacks have taken place in the region on a daily basis. On Friday night, two men slashed Police Sergeant Suthas Thongnual while he was riding home by motorcycle in the border area of Pattani and Songkhla provinces. He remains in serious condition.

In Yala yesterday, Police Sergeant Paen Chusawan shot hospital official Anantachai Yodnaree. Paen mistakenly believed the official intended to hurt the injured officer - Sam-ang Begari - he was guarding at the hospital.

Officer Sam-ang had been shot earlier this week.

--The nation 2004-02-22

[Spellbound]

One of the three satellites was also reportedly hired by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to search for the fabled tonnes of gold reputedly left by the Japanese army in Li Jia cave in Kanchanaburi as it beat a hasty retreat from the Kingdom at the end of World War II.

Cover the cost of all this aswell, if there is gold in there hills the claim will be made by SHIN CORP for sure.