Pakistanis cleared of terrorist links

PHUKET TOWN: Two Pakistani men arrested on Saturday night for illegally entering the country have been cleared of links with terrorist groups. Police named the men as Abid Khan and Bashir Mehmood, both 23. Officers found that Khan had entered Thailand on an Israeli passport while Mehmood had entered the country on a Portuguese passport. The men were also found in possession of two unused Pakistani passports. The Deputy Chief of Police Special Branch 2, the Phuket branch of Thailand’s internal intelligence service (santibaan), who asked not to be named, told the Gazette today that Tourist Police officers on patrol saw Mehmood running along Rassada Rd, heading toward the Thavorn Hotel. Believing that he was trying to evade them, the officers chased him into the hotel where they caught him and another man in a room the two men were sharing. The santibaan officer said that the two men claimed they bought the passports in Bangkok with the aim of getting work in a European country after spending their holiday in Thailand. The passports are believed to have been stolen from tourists. Officers are checking with the appropriate embassies. The two men were taken to Phuket Town Police Station while santibaan officers were called in to investigate. Officers could find no links with terrorist organizations. Mehmood and Khan were charged with entering the country illegally, and will be deported.