by Usa Pichai
Monday, 14 December 2009 19:29
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) - Thailand will report the seizure of the North Korean aircraft carrying illegal weapons in Bangkok to the United Nations, according to a report in the Thai government website.
A Thai court in Bangkok on Monday ordered a further 12-day detention of the five foreigners who were charged with illegal weapons possession after their Georgian aircraft carrying 35 tonnes of weapons from North Korea was impounded at Don Mueang airport in Bangkok on Saturday.
Thai police initially denied bail to the five crew members of the plane, one from Belarus and four men from Kazakhstan, as they were detained with tonnes of heavy arms and might attempt to flee if they were granted bail.
Suthep Teuksuban, Thai Deputy Prime Minister insisted on Monday that the arrest followed international and Thai law and would be reported to the United Nations.
“We are ready to declare the fact to related countries which include the country that the plane belongs to, the country that the captain and crew hold citizenship of, and countries that sell and buy these products which have not identified themselves yet.” He said according to a report in Thai Government’s website.
He also added that the United Nations has regulations clearly on this kind of incident about what the country, which is on the route should do and later have to report to UN.
The seizure was made on Saturday, where more than 100 Thai security officials searched a Russian-built IL-76 military transport aircraft bearing the number AWG 732 when it landed at Bangkok's domestic Don Mueang airport after it asked for permission to refill fuel. It flew from North Korea.
According to the authorities, the plane earlier arrived at Don Mueang airport once in the morning for refueling before departing for North Korea after it was loaded with the heavy weaponry it asked to refuel again at the airport at 4 pm. The action was the result of cooperation between Thai and American authorities as the Thai officials were informed by the United States that the aircraft was carrying heavy weapons which led to impounding of the airplane and the weapons.
The seized weapons, included rocket-propelled grenades (RPG), anti-aircraft SAM (surface to air missiles) and ammunition. It was impounded and transported in military trucks to a depot in Nakhon Sawan Province north of Thailand.
The U.N. Resolution 1874 was adopted after North Korea's second nuclear test in May, after one in 2006, to call for an overall arms embargo and financial sanctions and interdiction of cargo on the high seas to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons, missiles, other weapons of mass destruction and conventional arms.
On Sunday Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva confirmed that “Thailand has no link with the group. The crew, aircraft and arms are from other countries. They just stopped for fuelling.”
He added that after investigation Thailand will clarify the facts.
The United States reiterated on Sunday that all UN members are obliged to implement the UN resolutions banning North Korea from proliferating all conventional weapons as well as weapons of mass destruction, a State Department official said seeking anonymity, when asked about the seizure of North Korean weapons in Thailand.
North Korea has long been suspected of being behind nuclear and missile proliferation in several other countries in the Middle East. In addition, North Korea has a good rapport with Burmese military, which has worried the US and countries in the region.
In late June, a North Korean cargo ship, suspected to be on its way to Burma, returned home after being closely tracked by U.S. Navy vessels.
Kazakh Transportation and Communications Ministry Civil Aviation Committee Chairman Radilbek Adimolda said at a briefing in Astana that the aircraft detained in Bangkok did not belong to Kazakhstan. "The aircraft belonged to a private Kazakh company. On October 7, 2009, it was sold to the airline Air West Georgia," the chairman was quoted as saying by Azerbaijan-based Trendnews online.
"At present, the identity of the Kazakh citizens is being investigated. It is known that they work for the Kazakh private airline East Wind, but were on leave without pay. How they were employed by the Georgian airline is still unknown," he said
Thai authorities believed the airplane to be carrying the weapons to Sri Lanka, where a prolonged civil war ended recently.
Monday, December 14, 2009
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