Three arrested near Thai-Cambodian border for spying on military bases

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Three arrested near Thai-Cambodian border for spying on military bases
TNA 2011-06-10


BANGKOK, June 10 -- Three men -- a Thai, a Vietnamese and a Cambodian -- were arrested by the Thai military for spying on this country’s military bases and bunkers for the local population in the border province of Si Sa Ket.

Police in Si Sa Ket's Kantharalak district and a unit of Special Forces Rangers based in the province arrested the three men, identified as Suchart Muhammad, 32, a Thai national; Ung Kimtai, 43, a Cambodian national, and Nguyen Tengyang, 37, a Vietnamese national.

The three men were detained at Phum Srol village at 5pm on Tuesday while they were driving to find Thai military base locations and shelters for villagers in the province.

Their pickup truck with a Bangkok license plate was seized.

Pol Col Sompoj Khomprang, superintendent of Kantharalak district police station, said the arrest followed a military intelligence report that the three were driving around the province gathering information on military bases and bunkers built for local residents along the Thai-Cambodian border.

The authorities also found a Cambodian military map and a Thai map with different scales and four mobile phones, he said.

There were ten digit numbers written down on the map of Thailand which were only understand among the three, an apparent code.

Urine tests administered by the authorities found that Mr Suchart and Mr Ung Kimtai tested positive for methamphetamines. Both confessed to having used the drug earlier.

The three suspects were charged with espionage threatening Thailand’s national security, while Mr Suchart, as the driver, and Mr Ung Kimtai both faced additional charges of drug abuse.

After the arrest, an official of Cambodian Consulate-General in Sa Kaeo province visited the trio for ten minutes to seek options to help them. (MCOT online news)