News Briefs (October 2007)

Thai Police Arrest Four Europeans as Major Drug Traffickers

Thai police arrested four European men Thursday who were sought by Belgian authorities as alleged major drug traffickers. Members of Thailand's drug suppression police, accompanied by nine counterparts from Belgium, made the arrests Thursday morning at a house on the southern resort island of Koh Samui, said police Lt-Gen Wut Liptapanlop. Police identified the four suspects as Ronald Koornwinder, 46, and Paulun Meyer, 44, of the Netherlands, and Koen Van Staay, 30, and Kelly Cauterrels, 25, of Belgium. Belgian authorities indicted the men in connection with the smuggling of 125 kilograms (275 pounds) of heroin, 200 (440 pounds) of cocaine and 350 kilograms (770 pounds) of marijuana into Belgium from South Africa. Belgian narcotics police discovered they were hiding out in Thailand, where they also were suspected of laundering their money. The Belgian police who took part in Thursday's raid helped identify the suspects, who will be detained by Thai authorities pending formal extradition to stand trial in Belgium. (AP)

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

N Korena Leader Hold Talks with Vietnam's Communist Party Chief

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il held talks Wednesday with Vietnam's Communist Party chief Nong Duc Manh in Pyongyang, the North's official news agency said. Manh, who was met at the airport by Kim with a red-carpet welcome Tuesday for a three-day trip, is the first Vietnamese leader to visit Pyongyang since a visit by President Ho Chi Minh in 1957. Manh was accompanied by Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem and other senior party and government officials. Vietnam and North Korea have long been ideological allies, but trade and economic ties remain weak. Vietnam established relations with Seoul more than 10 years ago and South Korea has since become one of Vietnam's top trading and investment partners. (AP)

Thailand to Buy Swedish Jet Fighters to Replace Aging US Warplanes

Thailand will purchase 12 Swedish-made jet fighters to replace Vietnam-era US warplanes, a military spokesman said Wednesday. The Gripen-JAS 39C/D multi-role fighters, costing 34.4 billion baht (US $1.1 billion), will take the place of US F-5 warplanes that have been in the Thai arsenal for three decades, said Royal Thai Air Force spokesman Monthon Suchakorn. An initial shipment of six planes will be based in the southern province of Surat Thani, while the rest are to be deployed in Ubon Ratchathani province in the northeast. The Thai air force had considered the purchase of other warplanes, including the US F-16 and Russia's SU-30, before settling on the Gripen. Thailand has made a number of military purchases recently including armored personnel carriers from the Ukraine, assault rifles from Israel and surface-to-surface missiles from China. (AP)

Malaysian Army Robes Recruits' Alleged Abuse, Warns against Ragging

The Malaysian army is investigating claims by two recruits that they were abused by senior officers, a top official said Wednesday, as he warned of severe punishment for bullies in the force. Zarul Fahmi Shabsuddin, 20, alleged he was forced to drink weapon cleaning fluid while Khairul Azzuwan Zainal Rashid, 19, claimed he was scarred after an officer cut his arm with a knife, said Lt-Gen Mohamad Effendi Mustafa, commander of the army's first division infantry. The two recruits, from a military camp in Sarawak state on Borneo island, filed complaints with police late last month, he said. Investigations are expected to wrap up this month, he said. Zarul and Khairul are on leave for the Eid al-Fitr holidays but are expected to return to the camp this weekend, he said, adding that no one has been suspended so far. Allegations of abuse are not uncommon in the Malaysian army. (AP)

North Korea to Learn Disability Volleyball from Cambodia

North Korea will send observers to Cambodia next month to learn from an international competition for disabled volleyball athletes, an official said Tuesday. The Cambodian National Volleyball League of Disabled People is organizing the tournament from November 24 to Dec. 1, said Christopher Minko, the group's secretary-general. He said it will be the first time that North Korea will be participating in an international disability sporting event. The Cambodian team is mostly made up of victims of land mines, the deadly legacy from three decades of armed conflict that ended with the collapse of the Khmer Rouge genocidal movement eight years ago.