red shirts, thai army, udd, rally, weapons theft

The Bangkok Post:

The Thai government is investigating whether the theft of war weapons and ammunition from an arms depot in the South is politically motivated amid reports the weapons are already on their way to Bangkok.

Army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd yesterday confirmed the theft but would not comment on the number of stolen weapons.

The war weapons and ammunition were stolen last Tuesday from an arms depot belonging to the 401st Engineers Battalion at Fort Aphai Borirak attached to the 4th Army in Phatthalung's Muang district.

A highly-placed security source said the weapons and ammunition stolen included about 2,000 rounds for M16 and HK rifles, about 1,000 rounds for an 11mm pistol, and about 20 anti-personnel M26 and M67 grenades.
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"It [has been] discovered that the weapons and ammunition have already been moved to areas in Bangkok," the source said. "It is likely they will be used as part of a plot to incite unrest."

Acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn, however, said it was too early to say if the arms theft was linked to the red shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) rally this coming Sunday.

The Bangkok Post again:

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said yesterday he would not brush aside the possibility the weapons could be used at the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) rally planned for this Sunday.

"So far there has not been any evidence that the arms thief is linked to the anti-government rally, but I feel worried about it," said Mr Suthep, who oversees security affairs.

"As a result, I ordered all provincial governors to set up checkpoints to search vehicles heading to Bangkok on all routes to prevent the transportation of the stolen weapons into the capital."

BP: So obviously the red shrits stole just before the rally so they can bring them to Bangkok, right? Well, not quite, as The Nation reports:

The stolen weapons in Phatthalung were smuggled out of an Army's arsenal over time but culprits made it appear like a break-in, Army chief General Anupong Paochinda said on Tuesday.

Anupong vowed to get to the bottom of the matter in order to bring the culprits to justice. The theft is seen as an insider job.

"I think the theft involved certain rogue soldiers," Anupong said, hinting at the individual crime and not an arms smuggling ring as previously believed

The Bangkok Post again:

However, a source at the 4th Army said a theory that the weapons had been stolen to sell on the black market also deserved consideration.

There was another weapons theft at the depot in the middle of last year, he said. After the robbers - who turned out to be soldiers - were arrested, they confessed to having sold them on the black market.

"The government and army are eyeing the red shirt protest, but we shouldn't ignore the long-running problem in the 4th Army," the source said.

BP: And Panitan didn't even speculate about that option either.... funny that....Who would ever think that soldiers are corrupt?