Police seize 1,000s of weapons, calming APEC delegates
As Thailand struggles to combat the harm done by the methamphetamine epidemic, in a bizarre statement, police claim to have rounded up more than 60,000 suspects and seized thousands of weapons in cases tied to narcotics and illegal weapons since October 10, “bolstering confidence” among delegates to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok on November 18.
Police made no mention of why attendees at the summit needed to have their confidence boosted nor how arresting petty drug users would achieve this end. National Police Chief Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas did not comment on “confidence” among ordinary Thai people for the year up to October 20.
Over 11,000 cases involved firearms, explosives, and ammunition, some of which had been previously disclosed. Damrongsak said police had seized 36 combat weapons, 5,300 unregistered guns, 900 registered guns, 4,300 explosive devices, and 37,000 bullets.
In one case, a man named only as Wirayu, was arrested in the far northwest on suspicion of selling homemade guns online. The operation expanded and led to the arrest of 54 more suspects and the discovery of another 110 illegal guns, 13,300 bullets, and 11 bombs.
Further calming troubled APEC delegates, 43,000 drug suspects were arrested, and 50 million meth pills were taken by police.
Around 4,000 of 10,000 wanted suspects who had not previously been located were detained.
In other good news, Thai police, military and other security and intelligence agencies are said to have worked with the CIA and FBI on the latest operation, though no verification of this was presented.
Large patrols have begun nationwide ahead of the summit with an anti-terrorism drill planned for Friday at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center.
