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| Southeast Asia |
| N.Korea arms crew deported |
| 2010-02-13 |
| [Straits Times] THAILAND on Friday deported a five-man plane crew that it detained with a 35-tonne cache of sanctions-busting arms from North Korea after charges against them were dropped. The Belarussian pilot and four Kazakh crew flew out of Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport on a commercial flight bound for Almaty, the Kazakh capital, said an immigration official who refused to be named. They were detained in December after flying into Bangkok to refuel with a cargo that included missiles and rocket-propelled grenades. The United States applauded the seizure as an achievement in enforcing North Korean sanctions and is believed to have played a role in tipping off Thai authorities. Thailand initially charged the men with possessing illegal weapons and ammunition, smuggling weapons and other banned products and failing to report the cache. But on Thursday, the attorney-general's office said it was not in the national interest to pursue the case and that the five would be deported. Thai premier Abhisit Vejjajiva told reporters that officials had already coordinated with the men's home countries to organise their reception. |
| Posted by:Fred |