Thai police have arrested five suspected terrorists including three Pakistanis and two Burmese nationals in the northern province of Chiang Mai, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has said.
| Golly. Pakistanis. They've never been involved in terrorism before, have they? |
"They were arrested because their suspicious behaviour indicated they may have links with terrorists," Mr Thaksin said in his weekly radio address. "Initially they were arrested on immigration charges, we must question them before we can decide whether they are terrorists or not," he said. Thailand has been on alert since the capture of alleged terrorist mastermind Hambali in the central city of Ayutthaya two weeks ago. Although Mr Thaksin said at the time that the arrest wiped out the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) network in Thailand, Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh later said it was likely Hambali's lieutenants remained in the country. Mr Thaksin said a Thai national had also been arrested for giving shelter to the five suspected terrorists who were taken into custody on Friday. Chiang Mai immigration police commander Colonel Chinapath Tansrisakul said a large picture of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was found hanging in one of the bedrooms of the house where the five suspects lived.
| Probably with incense burning in front of it... |
"They are now under interrogation by the National Security Council, the National Intelligence Agency and Special Branch [police]," he told AFP, adding the five had initially claimed the picture belonged to their Thai landlord.
| "It was his incense, too!" |
Mr Chinapath said the suspects would appear in court on Saturday to face various immigration charges including overstaying their visas and illegal entry. "They said they had no occupation here, but some of them have overstayed their visas for almost one year," he said. The suspects had all entered Thailand separately.
| No employment, just hanging around, doing nothing... Though I could think of several things to do in Chiang Mai. But then, I don't have a turban... |
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