Guns seized at Tah Chat Chai checkpoint

TAH CHAT CHAI: Provincial and regional police held a press conference on October 5 to announce the seizure of 10 guns recovered during random checks at the Tah Chat Chai road checkpoint over a three-day period.

The press conference was conducted jointly by Police Region 8 Commander Lt Gen Santarn Chayanon and Phuket Provincial Police Commander Apirak Hongthong.

The seizures followed a handover in authority of the checkpoint from the regional to provincial police, in line with a policy to crack down on hired gunmen and other criminals coming to, and leaving, the island, Maj Gen Apirak said.

The crackdown involves more frequent searches and the addition of advanced detection technology to help police locate contraband items stashed inside vehicles, police said.

Also seized was a variety of other weapons and illegal drugs.

Similar “X-ray” inspections were conducted at checkpoints in Tung Tong and Kathu over the same period, but these failed to recover any weapons, the press conference was told.