The military & Thaksin

The Bangkok Post reaches us even here in far-off Pattaya, and from the story PM Abhisit, Gen Prayuth and their common future in Thursday's edition comes this little gem:

According to an unofficial poll conducted in secret by a military unit, if an election is called, the Puea Thai Party could end up with as many as 290-300 MPs while the Democrats would tally only about 150 seats.

Puea Thai, for those who don't follow Thai politics, is Thaksin's party about whom the article concluded:

However, the army has little choice now but to stick with the Democrat-led government. The armed forces know that if they cut the government loose and let it battle the red shirts and Thaksin Shinawatra unaided, they will have to face the dreadful prospect of a House dissolution soon. Next would be a new general election and the almost sure-fire triumph at the polls of the opposition Puea Thai Party.

The fin de siecle jockeying continues.

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Maybe THIS has something to do with it?

Thailand seizes 'arms plane flying from North Korea

The Il-76 was unloaded by Thai soldiers

Thailand has seized a cargo plane refuelling in Bangkok airport, which it says was carrying weapons from North Korea to an unknown destination.

The five crew members were also detained.

Rocket-propelled grenades, missiles and other weapons were found aboard, military investigators said.

It is believed that the plane had made an emergency request to refuel. It had taken off from the North Korean capital Pyongyang, the Thai Air Force said.

According to local media reports, four members of the crew are from Kazakhstan, and one from Belarus.

Thai officials said they had acted on a tip-off from foreign intelligence, with one official telling Reuters news agency, on condition of anonymity, that the US had supplied the information.

"It [the plane] came from North Korea and was heading for somewhere in South Asia, probably Pakistan," the same official added.

Another unconfirmed report suggested Sri Lanka as the destination.

Prize export

Local media say about 40 tons of weaponry were found aboard the chartered plane, a Soviet-designed Il-76.

The crew are said to have requested a translator from the Russian embassy


The reported items have been moved to a Thai military facility.

Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaungsuban said the crew had declared the cargo as "oil drilling equipment", according to AFP news agency.

"But when we examined, we found it was all weaponry," Mr Suthep, who is also in charge of national security, told reporters.

"This case will proceed carefully as there are many parties involved... Everything must proceed transparently."

The UN recently increased sanctions against North Korea in a bid to cut off its arms sales as punishment for a nuclear test in May.

Arms sales are a vital export item estimated to earn the destitute state more than $1bn (┬г0.76) a year, analysts say.

The North's biggest arm sales come from ballistic missiles, with Iran and other Middle Eastern states being customers, according to US government officials.

BBC

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BACKGROUND

Maybe THIS has something to do with it?

Of course! The North Koreans are going to help mount a coup. It's so obvious. :laughing3: