Drug, rifle seized after fighting near Myanmar border

CHIANG MAI, January 22 (TNA) - Border officials are on full alert following a fierce fighting with Red Wah guerrillas near the Thai-Myanmar border in the North on Saturday which resulted in two insurgents killed while a large amount of narcotics and an AK rifle seized, said Maj. Gen. Prakarn Chonlayuth, commander of the Pa Muang Task Force. The fighting broke out after more than 10 Red Wah guerrillas clashed with Thai rangers atop a hill, some 500 metres from the border in Mae Ai district of Chiang Mai province. The guerrillas were attempting to smuggle drug and kept it at a border village before moving it to Thailand later, Maj. Gen. Prakarn said. Rangers were able to seize about 100,000 ya ba pills, 10 kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as ‘ice’, half a kilo of heroin and an AK rifle after the clash ended, he said. It took the rangers more than 10 hours to carry the seized drug to the ground after the fighting ended, he said. Maj. Gen. Prakarn said border officials have been ordered to stay on full alert on belief that more attempts would be made to smuggle drug into Thailand during the Chinese New Year following yesterday’s clash. (TNA)