No link between Thai students detained in Pakistan and insurgency

[webfact]

PAKISTAN
No link between Thai students detained in Pakistan and insurgency
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- INITIAL investigation found no link between Thai five students detained in Pakistan and either the insurgency in the far South or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

Deputy Government Spokesman Maj General Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the motives to smuggle the handgun out of Pakistan would be further probed.

Five Thai religious students have been detained after Lahore airport staff found a handgun and munitions in their luggage while they were waiting to board a flight to Thailand.

X-ray images of the luggage reportedly showed a handgun dissembled and its parts kept in the luggage of the five students before being unloaded in Thai aircraft TG346 heading for Bangkok, at 10.40pm local departure time.

An adviser to Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, Panitan Wattanayagorn, said the Thai intelligence service was aware of the incident.

He said one of the detained students, who hails from Pattani, reportedly told Lahore airport security staff that a stranger convinced them to carry a container that had the handgun's parts - a claim Panitan said needed to be further scrutinised.

Panitan said there were no known links between the five students and the insurgency in southern Thailand or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

Army commander Udomdej Sitabutr said that Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha had learned of the arrest and ordered the Foreign Ministry to pursue the case to help out the five students.

All students are male adults but under 20 years of age, hence publication of their names in the media is not allowed.

No links to South discovered

They were reportedly seeking a post-high-school diploma in Islamic studies.

The students came from the provinces of Pattani, Trang, Chachoengsao, Songkhla and Krabi.

The home of the Krabi student has been searched by the police's local Special Branch office.

His parents reportedly told police that their son studied in Pakistan for two years and was about to return home to postpone his Army conscription draw and had been in constant contact with them.

His mother told reporters that she believed he had no links to the insurgency and he was sent |to study in Pakistan as it was affordable for the family, since they paid only Bt4,000 a month for food and room while the tuition and school supplies were all free.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Sek Wannamethee said the Thai side was coordinating with Pakistani authorities shortly after the incident occurred, and that a request to visit the students had been made, but a response was yet to be received.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/No-link-between-Thai-students-detained-in-Pakistan-30262166.html


-- The Nation 2015-06-12

[thesetat2013]

So they believe the kids mother who is not even in Pakistan with those kids that their are no links to insurgents. They don't think the mother might be clueless about her sons actions just like most insurgents mothers?

[Bluespunk]

"X-ray images of the luggage reportedly showed a handgun dissembled and its parts kept in the luggage of the five students before being unloaded in Thai aircraft TG346 heading for Bangkok, at 10.40pm local departure time."

So was it in their hand luggage or check on?

Edit: not saying one is any better than other but if check on at least they weren't trying to hijack the plane.

Edited June 11, 2015 by Bluespunk

[Somtamnication]

The self-denial rate in this country is ridiculous!

[WitawatWatawit]

In the absence of further evidence, I'll back his mum. Too dumb to have any credibility as the actions of an insurgent in training. Still, if he's innocent now, then he won't be after a few years in a Pak prison.

[geriatrickid]

Same government representatives who made multiple grand promises in respect to the koh samui bombing and fire and who promised to name some big names. and then went mysteriously quiet.

Thailand has a habit of hushing things up whenever things might look bad. Doesn't matter who's in power. It's always cover up, play down the event and pretend everything is ok.

Edited June 12, 2015 by geriatrickid

[SOUTHERNSTAR]

If one reads the BKK post and their claim that 2 of the students have been trained by IS, then you shake your head and smile.

[Prbkk]

If one reads the BKK post and their claim that 2 of the students have been trained by IS, then you shake your head and smile.

And that fronT page report makes it clear that these are not ingenue teenagers...one of them is 28 and said to be very religious, all from the south. " linked to IS"

[JOC]

The mother: He is such a good boy !!

[Fat Haggis]

To be fair, IS(IS) don't tend to have their roots from Pakistan, it's a very different ideology, Pakistan favours the Taliban type of ideology, and there have been encroachments into Afghanistan by IS(IS) who have targeted the Taliban.

What needs to be investigated more in depth as to what Madras they went to study, and the Thai Intelligence services can liase with ISI (Pakistan Intelligence) and build up a better site picture, if the school is an ISI flagged school, then the chances of these guys being "radicalised" are significantly higher.

The goal of IS(IS) is to spread across the continents and reach out to the radicals in the near and far east, and yes that does include Thailand, and the Thai Intelligence Services would be incredibly stupid not to think that IS(IS) could start active missions within the Kingdom.

There have been Chinese members of IS(IS) killed or captured in Iraq and Syria recently, if they can reach out to Chinese Musilms, rest assured they can reach out to Thai's just as easily.

Is this a cause for concern? It should raise concerns really, but if you keep your head buried in the sand long enough, someone eventually is going to come along and beast your exposed erse!!

[Srikcir]

"X-ray images of the luggage reportedly showed a handgun dissembled and its parts kept in the luggage of the five students before being unloaded in Thai aircraft TG346 heading for Bangkok, at 10.40pm local departure time."

So was it in their hand luggage or check on?

Edit: not saying one is any better than other but if check on at least they weren't trying to hijack the plane.

Don't most major airports x-ray checked luggage for just this reason?

A disassemlbled firearm in checked baggage is usually not a concern. But airport security procedures typically do not allow transport of live ammunition as it has explosive potential.

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

funny how they only say that they went to religious school and are from Pattani but go out of their way not to mention the religion. Was it a Buddhist school? I really doubt it. So why not just say it was a Muslim school? What are they trying to hide? the truth???

[Arkady]

"X-ray images of the luggage reportedly showed a handgun dissembled and its parts kept in the luggage of the five students before being unloaded in Thai aircraft TG346 heading for Bangkok, at 10.40pm local departure time."

So was it in their hand luggage or check on?

Edit: not saying one is any better than other but if check on at least they weren't trying to hijack the plane.

An important point. It also doesn't say whether one of them had ammunition. You might not need this for a hi-jacking but, if you believe you can get all the component parts on board and re-assemble them, you might as well take some ammo with you too.

If they checked the gun parts in, that would be a particularly stupid thing to do, considering how easy and cheap it is to acquire a black market hand gun in Thailand.

[Seastallion]

funny how they only say that they went to religious school and are from Pattani but go out of their way not to mention the religion. Was it a Buddhist school? I really doubt it. So why not just say it was a Muslim school? What are they trying to hide? the truth???

From the OP, "They were reportedly seeking a post-high-school diploma in Islamic studies."

Does that make you happier that in fact there is no PC conspiracy to hide the religion?

[Seastallion]

"one of the detained students, who hails from Pattani, reportedly told Lahore airport security staff that a stranger convinced them to carry a container that had the handgun's parts "

A likely story, hahaha...he's been reading too many stories of drug smugglers excuses.

Then why, young man, did you open the container and spread the parts around each other's luggage?

[xavierr]

funny how they only say that they went to religious school and are from Pattani but go out of their way not to mention the religion. Was it a Buddhist school? I really doubt it. So why not just say it was a Muslim school? What are they trying to hide? the truth???

From the OP, "They were reportedly seeking a post-high-school diploma in Islamic studies."

Does that make you happier that in fact there is no PC conspiracy to hide the religion?

There might not be PC in the article but it still does not mention the religion of the students. 'Armed Muslim students' would probably bee too much for some.

[Bluespunk]

funny how they only say that they went to religious school and are from Pattani but go out of their way not to mention the religion. Was it a Buddhist school? I really doubt it. So why not just say it was a Muslim school? What are they trying to hide? the truth???

Good job we've got you to put us straight on that, then.

[alocacoc]

"X-ray images of the luggage reportedly showed a handgun dissembled and its parts kept in the luggage of the five students before being unloaded in Thai aircraft TG346 heading for Bangkok, at 10.40pm local departure time."

So was it in their hand luggage or check on?

Edit: not saying one is any better than other but if check on at least they weren't trying to hijack the plane.

An important point. It also doesn't say whether one of them had ammunition. You might not need this for a hi-jacking but, if you believe you can get all the component parts on board and re-assemble them, you might as well take some ammo with you too.

If they checked the gun parts in, that would be a particularly stupid thing to do, considering how easy and cheap it is to acquire a black market hand gun in Thailand.

Five Thai students arrested in Pakistan for trying to smuggle a pistol and ammunition aboard a flight to Bangkok are suspected of having links to local insurgents and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria...

Please credit and share this article with others using this link:http://bangkokpost.com/news/security/589885/two-arrested-thai-students-linked-to-isis. View our policies at http://goo.gl/9HgTd and http://goo.gl/ou6Ip. © Post Publishing PCL. All rights reserved.

[Seastallion]

funny how they only say that they went to religious school and are from Pattani but go out of their way not to mention the religion. Was it a Buddhist school? I really doubt it. So why not just say it was a Muslim school? What are they trying to hide? the truth???

From the OP, "They were reportedly seeking a post-high-school diploma in Islamic studies."

Does that make you happier that in fact there is no PC conspiracy to hide the religion?

There might not be PC in the article but it still does not mention the religion of the students. 'Armed Muslim students' would probably bee too much for some.

It didn't mention the religion of the Pakistani Airport security, either. Nor the religion of the Thai diplomat.

It did say they studied Islamic studies, and at least one of the students was there for 2 years.......

"Armed Muslim Students" would have been far too inaccurate, as there was only one gun between the 5 of them, and that gun was in bits.

Try again.

[Docno]

They were probably returning to Thailand because Pakistan recently banned foreign students from attending madrassas there. The Pakistan government is well aware that these places are hotbeds of radicalisation, and it is finally clamping down hard on their activities. Any students having gone to Pakistan for religious studies should be closely vetted on their return, as they definitely pose a potential (not certain) risk.

[Seastallion]

They were probably returning to Thailand because Pakistan recently banned foreign students from attending madrassas there. The Pakistan government is well aware that these places are hotbeds of radicalisation, and it is finally clamping down hard on their activities. Any students having gone to Pakistan for religious studies should be closely vetted on their return, as they definitely pose a potential (not certain) risk.

I don't disbelieve you, but do you have any links to that, re banning foreign students?

[Docno]

They were probably returning to Thailand because Pakistan recently banned foreign students from attending madrassas there. The Pakistan government is well aware that these places are hotbeds of radicalisation, and it is finally clamping down hard on their activities. Any students having gone to Pakistan for religious studies should be closely vetted on their return, as they definitely pose a potential (not certain) risk.

I don't disbelieve you, but do you have any links to that, re banning foreign students?

Here you go: http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2015/02/13/national/no-foreign-students-allowed-in-pakistani-madrassas-govt-decides/

[Jim walker]

Thai religious students with guns shows the state of Buddhism in Thailand in the 21st century time the Junta had a clamp down on religion and have it all banned in Thailand

[Fat Haggis]

The $64 million dollar question is why smuggle into a country that's awash with weapons?

A stranger asked them to carry it on for him? Yeah same strangers that ask the occupants of the Bangkok Hilton to carry this bag for me please it's heavy!!

[cookee68]

Yes we all know why the tuition and school supplies were all free, and what a croc of shit, a stranger asked me to carry them in, honest officer the bomb was not mine, I just put it around my waist in case I lost it because it belonged to a stranger, I have heard some shit excuses by un educated idiots, they were on the radar as potential radicals, Pakistan have been watching and monitoring many students that go on religious studies, and there are many links to this

[phoenixdoglover]

Why, oh why, do officials in Thailand feel compelled to blab to the press and make extended statements so early in an investigation? Is there no difference between facts and speculation? Is the need to appear competent and in control greater than the need to be credible or consistent?

On every Thai official's wall should be a nice brass plaque, with the following inscription translated into Thai:

It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt. - Khun Abraham Lincoln

Or does that not translate?

Edited June 12, 2015 by phoenixdoglover

[Docno]

Thai religious students with guns shows the state of Buddhism in Thailand in the 21st century time the Junta had a clamp down on religion and have it all banned in Thailand

Huh? What does this have to do with Buddhism?? You did figure out that the students are Muslim given that they went to Pakistan to supposedly receive a religious education, right? You do know that Pakistan is not a likely place to go for an education in Buddhism?