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Thais drop weapons smuggling charges
Source: Agencies |
February 12, 2010, Friday
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THAI prosecutors dropped charges against the five-man crew of an aircraft accused of smuggling weapons from North Korea, saying yesterday the men might be guilty but would be deported to preserve good relations with their home countries.
The Attorney General's Office said the decision was made after the governments of Belarus and Kazakhstan contacted the Thai Foreign Ministry and requested the crew's release so they can be investigated at home.
"To charge them in Thailand could affect the good relationship between the countries," said Thanaphit Mollaphruek, a spokesman for the Attorney General's Office. "We have decided to drop all the charges and deport them."
The decision is likely to spark international criticism. The weapons' ultimate destination remains a mystery, though Thailand has said the plane's destination appears to have been Iran. Experts have voiced concern that authorities in the former Soviet republics have ignored illicit activities of air freight companies that use Soviet-era planes to fly anything anywhere for a price.
The crew was arrested on December 12 when the Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane they were flying from the North Korean capital of Pyongyang landed in Bangkok. Thai authorities, acting on a tip from the United States, found 35 tons of weapons on board - a violation of UN sanctions against North Korea.
"To charge them in this case would not be a benefit to Thailand," Thanaphit said, adding the men had planned to transit the weapons through Thailand and had no intention of using them in the country. "They were only here for refueling."
The US Embassy had no immediate comment, spokeswoman Cynthia Brown said.
The crew - four Kazakhs and a Belarusian - were expected to be released from prison late yesterday, said their lawyer, Somsak Saithong. They would be then turned over to immigration police who will arrange their deportation.
The UN imposed sanctions in June banning North Korea from exporting any arms after it conducted a nuclear test and test-fired missiles.
The crew has denied knowledge of arms aboard the plane, which Thai authorities say included explosives, rocket-propelled grenades and components for surface-to-air missiles. The crew says they thought they were carrying oil-drilling equipment.
"We are not saying that they're not guilty, just that we will not indict them in Thailand," said Kayasit Pissawongprakan, director-general for the Attorney General's criminal litigation division.
Hugh Griffiths, a researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, said it is unlikely the men will be prosecuted in Kazakhstan.
"There have been very, very few prosecutions for brokering arms or transporting arms to or from embargoed destinations," he said.
The Attorney General's Office said the decision was made after the governments of Belarus and Kazakhstan contacted the Thai Foreign Ministry and requested the crew's release so they can be investigated at home.
"To charge them in Thailand could affect the good relationship between the countries," said Thanaphit Mollaphruek, a spokesman for the Attorney General's Office. "We have decided to drop all the charges and deport them."
The decision is likely to spark international criticism. The weapons' ultimate destination remains a mystery, though Thailand has said the plane's destination appears to have been Iran. Experts have voiced concern that authorities in the former Soviet republics have ignored illicit activities of air freight companies that use Soviet-era planes to fly anything anywhere for a price.
The crew was arrested on December 12 when the Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane they were flying from the North Korean capital of Pyongyang landed in Bangkok. Thai authorities, acting on a tip from the United States, found 35 tons of weapons on board - a violation of UN sanctions against North Korea.
"To charge them in this case would not be a benefit to Thailand," Thanaphit said, adding the men had planned to transit the weapons through Thailand and had no intention of using them in the country. "They were only here for refueling."
The US Embassy had no immediate comment, spokeswoman Cynthia Brown said.
The crew - four Kazakhs and a Belarusian - were expected to be released from prison late yesterday, said their lawyer, Somsak Saithong. They would be then turned over to immigration police who will arrange their deportation.
The UN imposed sanctions in June banning North Korea from exporting any arms after it conducted a nuclear test and test-fired missiles.
The crew has denied knowledge of arms aboard the plane, which Thai authorities say included explosives, rocket-propelled grenades and components for surface-to-air missiles. The crew says they thought they were carrying oil-drilling equipment.
"We are not saying that they're not guilty, just that we will not indict them in Thailand," said Kayasit Pissawongprakan, director-general for the Attorney General's criminal litigation division.
Hugh Griffiths, a researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, said it is unlikely the men will be prosecuted in Kazakhstan.
"There have been very, very few prosecutions for brokering arms or transporting arms to or from embargoed destinations," he said.
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