Thai authorities are hunting for surface-to-air missiles smuggled in from Cambodia, a minister said amid fears the weapons were destined for use in attacks during this month’s APEC summit. "Concerning the SAM (missiles), we have discussed it almost every week in meetings of intelligence agencies and we have been hunting them for a long time," Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh told reporters. Authorities had been searching for the shoulder-launched weapons for a month, said Chavalit, who is responsible for security matters. They were monitoring a group believed to be responsible for bringing the missiles into Thailand from Cambodia, which has a thriving illegal weapons market, and were coordinating with neighbouring nations in the case, he said.
| That would be Cambodia, where the missiles came from, and Malaysia, where the money came from... |
The Bangkok Post said there were six missiles on the loose and that they were believed to be similar to two fired at a chartered Israeli commercial jet as it was taking off in the Kenyan city of Mombasa last year. Thailand is rolling out elaborate security precautions to protect 21 world leaders including US President George W Bush due at the October 20-21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. A Thai security official told AFP last month that alleged terror chief Hambali, who was captured in Thailand in August, had admitted planning to use missiles to attack commercial airliners, as well as bomb embassies and tourist zones in Bangkok. An Israeli television report said Thai police had thwarted an al-Qaeda plan to attack the airline in Bangkok and arrested a man at Don Muang international airport allegedly filming around the El Al counter. But Major General Eakarat Meeprecha from the police Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), said the hunt for the missiles was an over-reaction triggered by another police division, the Crime Suppression Bureau (CSB). He said the CIB had asked the CSB to check reports the weapons had been smuggled into the country but there had been no need for it to set up an investigative team and circulate a letter on the issue to all police agencies.
| On the other hand, if they're right and Meep's wrong, things won't be pretty, will they? Best to err on the side of caution... |
|