And they better also return the weapons and planes, or else there can be blasting everyday in Phuket Bangkok and Yala or other bloody parts of South Thailand.
It is easy for North Koreans to turn these magics.
Most importantly it is 100% logical and lucrative for North Koreans to arm Cambodian Hun Sen troops which is currently at armed border conflict against Thai army, over the silly temple.
Want BANG! BANG!? Lets BANG! BANG! @ your house!
http://nationmultimedia.com/2010/02/12/national/national_30122422.php
NORTH KOREA ARM PLANE
Charges dropped against Air Crew
By THE NATION
Published on February 12, 2010
Alleged arms smugglers freed at home countries' request
Citing the need to preserve good relations with the home countries of the five suspected smugglers of North Korean arms, the Office of the Attorney-General yesterday dropped charges against the crew while acknowledging they might have been guilty.
"To charge them in Thailand could affect the good relationships between the countries," said OAG spokesman Thanaphit Mollaphruek. "We have decided to drop all the charges and deport them."
"To charge them in this case would not be of benefit to Thailand," Thanaphit told a news conference, saying the men had planned to transit the weapons through Thailand and had no intention of using them in the country. They were here only for refuelling."
The OAG said the decision was made after the governments of Belarus and Kazakhstan asked the suspects be released so they could be investigated at home.
The US Embassy in Bangkok declined to comment. An official said the embassy was awaiting further instructions from Washington.
The US was one of the first countries to congratulate the Thai authorities for making the arrest and seizing the weapons last December.
Nevertheless, the decision will likely spark international criticism, because it will set a "bad precedent", said Sunai Phasuk, the Thai representative for New York-based Human Rights Watch.
It will reinforce the long-standing belief that Thailand is a transit point for such illicit activities, he said. Moreover, the fact that Russian arms smuggler Viktor Bout is currently locked up in Thailand and fighting extradition to the US does not help the country's image.
A senior intelligence officer said the decision to let the crew go had to do with the unprecedented nature of the case. Authorities were not certain how to proceed with it. The crew say they believed they were carrying oil-drilling equipment, he said.
The crew was arrested last December 12, when the Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane they were flying from the North Korean capital landed in Bangkok. Thai security and intelligence officials said the plane had stopped in Bangkok on its way to North Korea.
Acting on a tip from the US, the authorities monitored the cargo plane on its return from Pyongyang.
They found 35 tonnes of weapons on board, a violation of UN sanctions against North Korea. The weapons' ultimate destination remains a mystery.
US intelligence chief Dennis Blair said previously the destination was somewhere in the Middle East. The flight plan indicated the plane was bound for Iran, which denied it was the destination.
The crew of four Kazakhs - Ilyas Isakov, Viktor Abdullayev, Alexander Zrybnev and Vitaliy Shunkov - and a Belarusian, Mikhail Petukou, will be handed over to the Immigration Police and deported to their home countries, their lawyer, Somsak Saithong, told the media.
The UN last June imposed sanctions banning North Korea from exporting any arms after it conducted a nuclear test and test-fired missiles.
North Korea is believed to earn hundreds of millions of US dollars every year by selling missiles, missile parts and other weapons.
UN Resolution 1874 authorises member states to seize and dispose of prohibited items imported from or exported to North Korea but does not mention procedures or guidelines for dealing with the crew carrying the weapons.
"We're not saying they're not guilty, just that we will not indict them in Thailand," Kayasit Pissawongprakan, director-general of the OAG's Criminal Litigation Department, told reporters.
The OAG did not make clear yesterday what it would do with the seized weapons and aircraft.
________________________________________
UN resolution on N Korean weapons
- United Nations Security Council Resolution 1874 (2009) paragraph 14 authorises all member states to seize and dispose of exported weapons and related items that are prohibited by paragraph 8 (a), 8 (b) or 8 (c) of Resolution 1718 or paragraph 9 or 10 of Resolution 1874.
- Resolution 1874 paragraph 15 requires any member state, when it undertakes an inspection or seizes and disposes of the prohibited cargo, promptly to submit a report to the committee on inspection, seizure and disposal.
- Resolution 1874 neither mentions any measures nor provides any guidelines on how to deal with personnel involved in transporting prohibited items.
- The UN resolution does not prohibit local authorities from enforcing its authority on the carriers.
It is easy for North Koreans to turn these magics.
Most importantly it is 100% logical and lucrative for North Koreans to arm Cambodian Hun Sen troops which is currently at armed border conflict against Thai army, over the silly temple.
Want BANG! BANG!? Lets BANG! BANG! @ your house!
http://nationmultimedia.com/2010/02/12/national/national_30122422.php
NORTH KOREA ARM PLANE
Charges dropped against Air Crew
By THE NATION
Published on February 12, 2010
Alleged arms smugglers freed at home countries' request
Citing the need to preserve good relations with the home countries of the five suspected smugglers of North Korean arms, the Office of the Attorney-General yesterday dropped charges against the crew while acknowledging they might have been guilty.
"To charge them in Thailand could affect the good relationships between the countries," said OAG spokesman Thanaphit Mollaphruek. "We have decided to drop all the charges and deport them."
"To charge them in this case would not be of benefit to Thailand," Thanaphit told a news conference, saying the men had planned to transit the weapons through Thailand and had no intention of using them in the country. They were here only for refuelling."
The OAG said the decision was made after the governments of Belarus and Kazakhstan asked the suspects be released so they could be investigated at home.
The US Embassy in Bangkok declined to comment. An official said the embassy was awaiting further instructions from Washington.
The US was one of the first countries to congratulate the Thai authorities for making the arrest and seizing the weapons last December.
Nevertheless, the decision will likely spark international criticism, because it will set a "bad precedent", said Sunai Phasuk, the Thai representative for New York-based Human Rights Watch.
It will reinforce the long-standing belief that Thailand is a transit point for such illicit activities, he said. Moreover, the fact that Russian arms smuggler Viktor Bout is currently locked up in Thailand and fighting extradition to the US does not help the country's image.
A senior intelligence officer said the decision to let the crew go had to do with the unprecedented nature of the case. Authorities were not certain how to proceed with it. The crew say they believed they were carrying oil-drilling equipment, he said.
The crew was arrested last December 12, when the Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane they were flying from the North Korean capital landed in Bangkok. Thai security and intelligence officials said the plane had stopped in Bangkok on its way to North Korea.
Acting on a tip from the US, the authorities monitored the cargo plane on its return from Pyongyang.
They found 35 tonnes of weapons on board, a violation of UN sanctions against North Korea. The weapons' ultimate destination remains a mystery.
US intelligence chief Dennis Blair said previously the destination was somewhere in the Middle East. The flight plan indicated the plane was bound for Iran, which denied it was the destination.
The crew of four Kazakhs - Ilyas Isakov, Viktor Abdullayev, Alexander Zrybnev and Vitaliy Shunkov - and a Belarusian, Mikhail Petukou, will be handed over to the Immigration Police and deported to their home countries, their lawyer, Somsak Saithong, told the media.
The UN last June imposed sanctions banning North Korea from exporting any arms after it conducted a nuclear test and test-fired missiles.
North Korea is believed to earn hundreds of millions of US dollars every year by selling missiles, missile parts and other weapons.
UN Resolution 1874 authorises member states to seize and dispose of prohibited items imported from or exported to North Korea but does not mention procedures or guidelines for dealing with the crew carrying the weapons.
"We're not saying they're not guilty, just that we will not indict them in Thailand," Kayasit Pissawongprakan, director-general of the OAG's Criminal Litigation Department, told reporters.
The OAG did not make clear yesterday what it would do with the seized weapons and aircraft.
________________________________________
UN resolution on N Korean weapons
- United Nations Security Council Resolution 1874 (2009) paragraph 14 authorises all member states to seize and dispose of exported weapons and related items that are prohibited by paragraph 8 (a), 8 (b) or 8 (c) of Resolution 1718 or paragraph 9 or 10 of Resolution 1874.
- Resolution 1874 paragraph 15 requires any member state, when it undertakes an inspection or seizes and disposes of the prohibited cargo, promptly to submit a report to the committee on inspection, seizure and disposal.
- Resolution 1874 neither mentions any measures nor provides any guidelines on how to deal with personnel involved in transporting prohibited items.
- The UN resolution does not prohibit local authorities from enforcing its authority on the carriers.
