Crew of NKorean plane detained in Thai jail

[unhappycamper]

Crew of NKorean plane detained in Thai jail
By JANE FUGAL
Associated Press Writer
Dec 14, 6:29 AM EST

BANGKOK (AP) -- A Thai court ordered an extended 12-day detention Monday for the crew of a cargo plane loaded with North Korean weapons, as Thailand said it was trying to determine if the aircraft's destination was in Asia or the Middle East.

The Bangkok Criminal Court accepted a police request to hold the five-man crew in prison pending further investigations in a case that could shed new light on the illicit weapons trade from North Korea. The impoverished nation is widely accused of selling weapons to nations in Africa, Asia and Latin America in violation of U.N. sanctions.

Thai authorities reportedly acted on a tip from their American counterparts when they impounded the Ilyushin IL-76 transport plane Saturday and discovered 35 tons of explosives, rocket-propelled grenades and components for surface-to-air missiles.

Members of the crew - four from Kazakhstan and one from Belarus - were charged Sunday with illegal arms possession. The court on Monday approved an initial request for a 12-day extension, which can be extended up to 84 days, said police spokesman Pongsapat Pongjaren.

Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said the aircraft was headed for the Sri Lankan capital Colombo but authorities were investigating if the final destination was in the Middle East, noting the aircraft had recently stopped in the United Arab Emirates.


Rest of article at: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_THAILAND_WEAPONS?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2009-12-13-04-46-17