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Korea arms plane crew 'to go free'


Flashermac

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Bangkok Post

29 Jan 2010

 

 

Prosecutors have decided to drop charges against five suspects found last month with 35 tonnes of weapons on a plane from North Korea, a source close to the case has revealed.

 

The source did not elaborate yesterday on the reasons leading to the prosecutors' decision, which will be announced today.

 

Pilot Mikhail Petukhou, 54, from Belarus, Alexandr Zrybnev, 53, Viktor Abdullayev, 58, Vitaliy Shumkov, 54, and Ilyas Issakov, 53, all from Kazakhstan, faced court on five charges, including illegal arms possession.

 

Their Russian-made plane refuelled at Don Mueang airport on Dec 11 en route from North Korea to Ukraine, via Sri Lanka. Authorities searched the plane and found the weapons the next day.

 

The men were arrested and charged with carrying weapons without permission, illegally bringing them to Thailand and failing to inform officials of the items.

 

Denying any involvement in transporting weapons, the five claimed their employer told them they were carrying oil-drilling equipment.

 

Crime Suppression Division police, which handled the case, asked prosecutors to indict the suspects on Jan 14.

 

Chief prosecutor for foreign affairs Sirisak Tiyaphan yesterday refused to predict the prosecution's decision today but said one element prosecutors would use as a basis was whether the offences were committed in Thailand. The men only stopped at the airport for refuelling.

 

But Kayasit Pissawanprakan, chief of the Criminal Litigation Office, said the attorney-general also had to endorse the decision made by prosecutors.

 

"If the Criminal Litigation Office decides not to indict, and the attorney-general agrees to it on the same day, the suspects will be freed," he said.

 

The source said the five were likely to be released from detention today. The five were detained at the Bangkok Remand Prison. Security authorities and arms experts suspect the weapons on the plane were destined for Iran, but the Teheran government denies this.

 

The shipment breached the UN Security Council resolution which bans North Korea from exporting arms and weapons-related materiel.

 

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Chief prosecutor for foreign affairs Sirisak Tiyaphan yesterday refused to predict the prosecution's decision today but said one element prosecutors would use as a basis was whether the offences were committed in Thailand. The men only stopped at the airport for refuelling.

 

So how can an embargo be enforced if the only way to prosecute is by catching the culprit in the country where they broke the embargo? It would mean that the only country that could enforce the arms embargo against North Korea would be North Korea.

 

And if they refuse to enforce the embargo, why are they signatories to it?

 

So what will they do now, compensate them for their losses and send the arms back on their way to Pakistan or where ever it was headed?

 

I mean, of course of course I know the real deal on this is that palms have been greased. Just a pretty clear example how this country's still a banana republic.

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Chief prosecutor for foreign affairs Sirisak Tiyaphan yesterday refused to predict the prosecution's decision today but said one element prosecutors would use as a basis was whether the offences were committed in Thailand. The men only stopped at the airport for refuelling.

 

Hold the phone - this doesn't make sense. Isn't bringing these sorts of weapons into Thailand without a proper permit or notice a criminal offense? Even if its a stop over shouldn't they at least be declared? Otherwise there is a serious risk that these weapons would end up in Thailand.

 

I find it hard to believe that it is not a crime to simply bring in these sorts of weapons into Thailand - under a false manifest no less- without some sort of declaration. This whole thing stinks to high heaven.

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Chief prosecutor for foreign affairs Sirisak Tiyaphan yesterday refused to predict the prosecution's decision today but said one element prosecutors would use as a basis was whether the offences were committed in Thailand. The men only stopped at the airport for refuelling.

 

Hold the phone - this doesn't make sense. Isn't bringing these sorts of weapons into Thailand without a proper permit or notice a criminal offense? Even if its a stop over shouldn't they at least be declared? Otherwise there is a serious risk that these weapons would end up in Thailand.

 

I find it hard to believe that it is not a crime to simply bring in these sorts of weapons into Thailand - under a false manifest no less- without some sort of declaration. This whole thing stinks to high heaven.

 

Yep, good catch. In a country with real laws, the reporter covering this would have put that question to him: So are you saying that it's legal to bring rocket-propelled grenades and (etc.) into Thailand without declaring them?

 

In one of our countries, the opposition would have pounced on something like this as a clear sign of corruption. Here though, the opposition is so caught up in its demagoguery campaign they don't even notice it. Or... they know damn well it's just the kind of thing their guy would handle much more slickly that they don't bother. Like, oh well... ignore the laws, of course, that I can understand. There's money to be made after all. What are laws compared to money.

 

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