Eight Thais sentenced to 7 years in Myanmar jail for illegal weapon possession

August 25, 2012

RANONG, Aug 25 - Eight Thais were sentenced seven years in Myanmar jail for illegal possession of military weapons, an additional verdict on top of illegal entry and deforestation charges, said a senior Thai border committee chairman on Saturday.

Col Pornsak Poolsawas, chairman of Thailand-Myanmar's Township Border Committee (TBC) at Ranong-Kawthaung said eight of 92 Thais now detained by Myanmar authorities were taken to hear their additional verdict at a local court on Friday and each received seven years in prison.

The eight detainees earlier admitted to the court that they possessed firearms only for self defense, as the area where they stayed was in the forest.

A local court earlier handed down three years and a half jail term for 92 Thai villagers-- 82 men and 10 women -- for illegal entry and deforestation.

Eight of them faced additional charges of illegally possessing weapons, while another two were charged with drugs-related offenses.

With the Friday ruling, these eight people will be jailed for ten and a half years, a verdict which the reporters described as obviously causing worries to the prisoners as they heard the ruling.

It is expected that the Myanmar court will rule on drugs charges against two Thais within the month.

The 92 Thai villagers were detained for encroaching onto Myanmar territory early July. The detainees maintained they were lured by a broker to clear the land which they later learned was beyond the areas authorised by the Myanmar officials for Thais to use for cultivation. (MCOT online news)

View the full article