5,000 cartridges found at Thailand's Lopburi roadside

LOPBURI, Sept 26 - Officers of the Thai Army Ordinance Department will inspect whether the more than 5,000 cartridges found at a Lopburi roadside on Sunday are munitions missing from an arsenal in the province.

Two suspicious bags and a wooden crate were placed at the roadside near a farm. An initial inspection by Army officials found 5,160 cartridges in total.

On Monday, specialists will jointly investigate whether these munitions are part of those missing from a Lopburi arsenal earlier this month.

Army chief Gen Anupong Paochinda on Monday conceded that some 30 rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) disappeared from a military armoury in Lopburi province over a week ago.

On Friday, police planned to seek arrest warrants for two more men as suspects in the disappearance of a quantity of RPGs. Four suspects have been detained so far at the Lopburi municipal police station.

Divers from the Special Warfare Command found 12 RPGs and part of an M16 assault rifle in Bangkham canal in Lopburi's Tha Wung district Thursday night. Two more grenades were reportedly retrieved Friday morning.

According to the initial inspection, the RPGs were from the munitions missing from the Lopburi arsenal.

A Royal Thai Police investigators team led by Assistant National Police Commissioner Pol Lt Gen Assawin Kwanmuang said one or two former superiors of the suspect, formerly Army non-commissioned officers, ordered them to steal weapons from the arsenal. Police are seeking further evidence for the case.

As head of the investigation team, Gen Assawin said the former supervisor of the suspects is from a 'hardcore' renegade military group.

According to Gen Assawin, 16 RPGs were retrieved while 23 others remain missing. (MCOT online news)