Stolen weapons not connected to reds

ARMY INVESTIGATION FINDS SOLDIERS TOOK ARMS TO SELL TO SOUTHERN INSURGENTS

Published: 21/03/2010 at 12:00 AM

By: Bangkok Post

Weapons which disappeared from an arms depot in Phatthalung were stolen by soldiers who hoped to sell them to insurgents in the southernmost provinces, the army says.

The theft has nothing to do with the red shirt rally as earlier thought, according to a 4th Army investigation.
Disclosing the result of the inquiry yesterday, 4th Army commander Pichet Wisaijorn said the arms had been recovered and taken back to barracks.
The theft occurred at Fort Aphai Borirak, home of the 401 Engineers Battalion in Phatthalung province, on March 2.
Thieves stole weapons and ammunition from the depot.
They included about 2,000 rounds from M16 and HK rifles, about 1,000 rounds for an 11mm pistol, and about 20 anti-personnel M26 and M67 grenades.
The 4th Army set up a panel to investigate the theft, as troops were worried the weapons could be used to harm internal security.
Lt Gen Pichet said a group of 10 privates at the military unit who were on guard duty that night was involved in the theft.
The soldiers are natives of Pattani, one of the strife-torn provinces in the far South.
Officers who are Pattani natives, and based at Fort Ingkhayutborihan in Pattani, were invited to take part in the investigation.
The 10 soldiers admitted stealing the weapons, said Lt Gen Pichet.
They separated the arms in three parts - one cache was buried in Fort Aphai Borirak, another hidden at Mayo district in Pattani, and a third hidden at Tak Bai district in Narathiwat.
Lt Gen Pichet said the privates told the investigation that they needed money and made contact with insurgent groups in Pattani which wanted arms to instigate violence in the southern-border areas.
The 4th Army chief, who oversees security in the southern provinces, said the investigation also found that the 10 privates had taken part in insurgent networks.
Authorities were extending their investigation to find out which insurgent groups they joined.
The 10 privates are now in detention pending legal action, said Lt Gen Pichet.
Earlier, inquiries focused on the red shirt group which is rallying against the government in Bangkok.
The government thought the arms might have been transported to Bangkok for acts of sabotage during the red rallies underway this week.