Thai Prime Minister admits army guns smuggled to Aceh

Thai Prime Minister admits army guns smuggled to Aceh

Agencies
Bangkok

Hundreds of weapons smuggled into the war-ravaged Indonesian
province of Aceh came from a Thai army arsenal, Thailand's prime
minister admitted on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra refused to say if corrupt
army officials were involved in smuggling the stolen arms to Aceh
rebels, or whether common criminals were responsible.

"If you ask whether some weapons (in the hands of) Aceh rebels
came from the Thai army or not, the answer is yes. These are
weapons smuggled out of an arsenal of the Thai army," Thaksin
told reporters.

Eight Indonesians were arrested in January and February on
suspicion of moving hundreds of firearms from southern Thailand
to the Free Aceh Movement guerrillas, Indonesian police said on
Saturday.

Thaksin said Thai officials are in Indonesia investigating the
disappearance of the weapons.

He declined to give specific details as to the number of arms
found in Aceh, or the armory where they came from.

A group of armed men allegedly stole hundreds of assault
rifles during a raid on Jan. 4 from an armory in the Muslim-
dominated southern Thai province of Narathiwat. Four soldiers
died in the attack.

However, Thai Rath - a Thai-language daily newspaper -
reported on Wednesday that the weapons disappeared from the
armory several weeks earlier. Quoting unidentified government
sources, the report said the raid was used as an excuse to cover
up the loss. It claimed the weapons were also smuggled to Aceh.

Thaksin refused to comment on the report, saying he does not
want to talk about security issues. "I know a lot, but do not
want to speak now," he said.

The Free Aceh Movement, which has fought for independence
since 1976, has said previously most of its weapons are either
stolen from Indonesian troops or bought in the black market.

Aceh has about 5,000 rebels, mostly equipped with automatic
rifles and other assault weapons.

Thailand's long coastline, porous borders, modern
infrastructure and corruptible officials, combined with a history
of gun-running since regional conflicts of the 1950s, has made it
an ideal location for weapons traders and buyers.

But last May, Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said
after a meeting with President Megawati Soekarnoputri in Jakarta
that there was no indication of arms smuggling from Thailand to
Aceh.

Thaksin and his chief lieutenants have blamed this year's
string of attacks in the restive south on Islamic separatist
groups whose members are believed to be hiding out in forested
areas bordering Malaysia.

But Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, the deputy premier responsible for
national security, said those responsible were bandits connected
to corrupt local authorities and politicians bent on protecting
illicit trades like smuggling.

"Those troublemakers were local influential people with good
connections to national politicians, and are involved in vice and
crime and have tried to conquer state authority," Chavalit said.