Bangkok, arrested a cargo ship containing North Korean weapons
Bangkok (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Four men of Kazakh nationality and a fifth from Belarus have been accused of illegal possession of weapons. Their cargo plane was carrying arms from North Korea in violation of UN sanctions. The plane was stopped on 12 December in Bangkok.
After taking off from the North Korean capital, the plane made a stopover at Don Muan airport in Bangkok for refuelling. During normal control operation Thai security forces found more than 30 tons of weapons. Among these grenades, explosives and missile components.
Crew members now have to respond to charges of illegal possession of weapons. A Thai court has extended the detention order to 12-days, excluding release on bail. It is suspected the plane was carrying North Korean weapons, violating the UN resolution banning the sale of arms and explosives to Pyongyang.
Yesterday, the Thai premier Abhisit Vejjajiva explained that "the matter will be treated in accordance with UN resolutions and the law of the country" and assured that "the five defendants will be tried in Thailand" because they transported "undeclared materials" and were "armed" .
To date the final destination of the cargo and possible buyer of the weapons is still unknown. In an interview with the New York Times, the co-pilot stated that he knew nothing about the contents of the cargo loaded in North Korea.
The discovery of weapons from North Korea comes a few days after the first official summit between Pyongyang and Washington since the start of the Obama administration. It shows that the communist state, while on the surface fostering dialogue with the U.S., continues illegal trafficking of arms, fuelling suspicions about its intentions to cooperate with the international community.
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