Police in central Thailand arrested four people and seized arms that were apparently being sent to the troubled Muslim-majority south. The arrests took place in Nakhon Ratchasima town on Thursday, hours before a series of attacks by unidentified gunmen in the southern province of Pattani left six people dead and three injured. Three of the men arrested in Nakhon Ratchasima are Thai Muslims, said police Lt-Col Prasong Ruangdej. The fourth is a Buddhist.
| Surprised one of 'em's a Buddhist... |
Lt-Col Prasong said police, acting on a tip-off, intercepted a truck in which the four men were transporting 15 AK-47 rifles. Interrogation led the police to a house in the neighbouring province of Sakeaw on the Cambodian border. There, police found 10 more AK-47 rifles, 15,000 bullets, M-79 grenade launchers and grenades, Lt-Col Prasong said. He said the four were expected to be charged with illegal possession of war weapons, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. 'The suspects said they were paid to transport the weapons from Cambodia to Pattani and refused to say anything more,' he added. Lt-Col Prasong said the seized weapons might be linked to the spate of violence in the country's four Muslim-majority provinces, including Pattani, which has left more than 36 people dead since December 2001.
| Golly. Y'think they might be? |
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