Live grenade found at Karon Beach

KARON: A grenade with the trigger held locked only by a rusty wire was found behind Wat Karon near Karon Beach on Saturday. Chalong police informed officers from the provincial Special Duties Squad just after midnight that an M-67 grenade had been discovered behind Wat Karon, which is on the Karon Beach road. Pol Sgt Maj Thongsook Thongchang, leader of the Special Duties Bomb Disposal Squad, told the Gazette that some tourists visiting the wat had found the grenade, on the ground about 30 meters from Karon Beach Rd. The grenade was wrapped in white cloth. When police arrived, it was in the middle of two old tires, which the tourists apparently had placed around it for protection. Sgt Maj Thongsook, said, “When I took off the white cloth, I saw that the grenade’s pin had been removed and replaced with a rusty piece of wire. “I put the grenade in a special protective box because I was afraid that the wire might break at any time, causing the grenade to explode. This type of grenade is designed to maim by injuring the target’s legs, and it was still in working condition.” Sgt Maj Thongsook then took the grenade back to his squad’s office so that it could be examined in an effort to trace its origin. Police suspect that the grenade was intended to be used as a weapon in a war between teenage gangs, but had been left abandoned, possibly after those carrying it had spotted a nearby police check point and decided that it was not worth the risk to carry it through. Sgt Maj Thongsook said, “The grenade had been exposed to the sun and rain for some time, which had rusted the wire – it could have exploded at any time.” Police are still trying to determine who was responsible for abandoning the grenade.