Time to disarm arms traffickers

Time to disarm arms traffickers

Before (President Megawati Sukarnoputri) arrived (in Bangkok), Thai and Indonesian officials expected her to do little more than shake hands, exchange pleasantries.

In her meeting with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra she brought up the arrest last May of two Thai army sergeants in Songkhla.

Still sketchy reports said they were charged with preparing to ship hand grenades, rifle ammunition and land mines to rebel forces in Aceh.

Thailand has been named in many reports over the last decade as a major trafficker in illegal small arms. The last U.S. report on money laundering said Thai arms trafficking was as important as drugs and human trafficking.

It is widely believed that high-ranking, corrupt military officers are behind the Thai arms trafficking. The Thai army has vastly improved its image in recent years, but the arrest of the sergeants in Songkhla touched off allegations that they were merely scapegoats for their superior officers.

It is time to tackle this criminal activity, and to thank Mrs. Megawati for bringing it up.

-- The Bangkok Post