Official inquiry to begin

The five foreigners arrested on Saturday for carrying weapons on their airplane would face more charges under Thai law, and a special team would be set up to investigate the case in collaboration with the police, Attorney-General Julasing Wasantasing said yesterday.

The detainees were charged with giving false documents to Customs officials as well as illegally carrying more than 35 tonnes of war weapons.

The Crime Suppression Division's acting-chief Pol Colonel Supisal Pakdeenarunart said the weapons, which have been moved to the Royal Air Force Base in Takhli, Nakhon Sawan, would be inspected today.

The aircraft, operated by the five detainees, had taken off from North Korea and stopped at Don Mueang Airport, supposedly to refuel.

The circumstances of why the plane landed in Bangkok and its ultimate intended desination are still uncertain.

Acting government spokesman Panitan Watanayagorn said the suspects said they were also supposed to land in a Middle Eastern country, but did not know the exact location.

The pilot is a Belarusian, while the four crew members are from Kazakhstan.

He said initial examinations of the weapons cache revealed launchers of rocket-propelled grenades, shoulder-launched missiles, parts of a large weaponry system, various rockets, as well as large pipes.

Experts have tried to identify the weapons though they might seek assistance from foreign specialists for unfamiliar items. More crates of the cargo would be opened today for examination, Panitan added.

Meanwhile, diplomats from Belarus and Kazakhstan tried to post Bt400,000 as bail for each of the suspects yesterday, but the Criminal Court denied their request on grounds that the alleged offences involved a |massive cache of war weapons and that temporary freedom might encourage the five suspects to try to flee legal proceedings in Thailand.

The suspects have denied any wrongdoing, saying they did not know the cargo hold was loaded with arms.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday, National Security Council's secretary-general Thawil Pliansri said, in fact, the suspects had committed many offences under various laws.

"They have apparently violated the Customs and Air-Navigation Acts," he said.

Meanwhile, Julasing has assigned Sirisak Tiyaphan, chief prosecutor in charge of foreign affairs, and his subordinate Sopon Kasempiboonchai to work closely with the investigation team.

A written order should be issued by the end of this week, which Sirisak said was necessary before the inquiry process could begin.

Thawil said that since Thailand had never dealt with such case before, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya had instructed the Department of International Organisations and Department of Treaties and Legal Affairs to consult with the United Nations.

"We will proceed in line with Thai laws and UN resolutions. We will be cautious with the case," Thawil said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the case was sensitive.

"We have to make clear that we are doing everything in line with the UN resolutions," he said.

Panitan said the Foreign Ministry had also invited foreign diplomats, including those from North Korea, to exchange information on this case.

"We believe the network of arms dealers must have covered various countries," he said, adding that the main markets looked to be developing countries in Asia and the Middle East.

"Small war weapons are wanted in countries where there are civil wars," Panitan noted.

As of yesterday, Air Vice Marshal Metha Sangkhawijit, who heads the Royal Thai Air Force's Directorate of Armament, confirmed that the plane had no nuclear weapons on board.