THE NATIONAL Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has instructed regional Army officers to investigate recent cases of weapon trafficking, NCPO deputy spokeswoman Colonel Sirichan Ngathong said yesterday.

The cases include military grenades sent via courier last week and a pickup truck loaded with weapons that ran off the road  in Trat at the weekend.

Sirichan quoted Army chief General Chalermchai Sitthisart, in his capacity as NCPO secretary, addressing a secretariat meeting yesterday and telling officers to get tough on criminals who tried to avoid detection by new methods such as using social media and couriers to transport drugs and weapons.

Chalermchai also expressed concern that the recent case suggested weapons trafficking in border areas was occurring and urged officers at border checkpoints to screen vehicles for illegal items without exception, including state-issued cars and civilian automobiles that display government stickers, she said.

The Army chief’s comment followed an incident on Saturday when Flight Sergeant Pakhin Detphong, 40, an air force officer attached to the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) in Bangkok, was arrested after he drove a four-door Isuzu pickup truck off the road in Trat.

The truck, reportedly headed to the Cambodian border, was found to be carrying weapons and ammunition including 29 AK-47 rifles, four machine guns, 4,147 AK-47 bullets and 53 M79 grenades.

A white Toyota Land Cruiser with Cambodian licence plates was also found at the scene. The driver, identified only as Pisit, 29, and claimed to be a Cambodian immigration officer, and another man from Trat, Jakkapong Krairiang, 37, were brought in for questioning on suspicion that the two vehicles might be linked to illegal weapons deals.

Meanwhile, National Security Council chief General Thaweep Netniyom said yesterday he had not ruled out any possible motive in the case as police, Army and intelligence officers were gathering evidence, which would take time. He said authorities could not determine if the case was linked to recent blasts in Bangkok.

Thaweep said Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan had ordered officers to pay special attention to the southern border provinces especially during the fasting month of Ramadan, while basic infrastructure in Bangkok as well as at transport hubs would be monitored.

Meanwhile, Isoc spokesman Colonel Peerawat Saengthong said the agency had not issued identification cards to anyone |besides passes to enter its central office in Bangkok. Members of the public should alert police or call the 1374 hotline if people try to influence them by showing Isoc identification, he said.

In related news, the Army extended its investigation of M67 grenades found in a parcel seized from a Kerry Express branch in Bang Khen in Bangkok last week and apprehended another military officer as well as five civilians who received parcels, a source in the investigative team said yesterday.

Shortly after the discovery of a grenade, Corporal Isarapong Phrombutr, 27, whose name was listed as the parcel’s sender, was taken into military custody for questioning. Isarapong was scheduled to be transferred to Bang Khen police by a Friday deadline.

The source said the Army had also apprehended Sergeant Thanakorn Boonkan, 28, who was captured by the Kerry Express shop’s CCTV as bringing in two parcels last Thursday and using Isarapong’s name, while five civilians who received parcels were brought in for questioning.