Five drug suspects shot dead in Chiang Rai
Soldiers in Chiang Rai killed five suspected drug traffickers near the Myanmar border on Saturday evening and seized 720,000 “yaba” (methamphetamine) pills, deputy commander of the Thai 3rd army region, Major General Bancha Suriyapan said on Sunday.
Alerted that a drug shipment was on the way, the troops staked out an area in Tambon Winga Phang Kham, Mae Sai district.
They saw seven armed men, each wearing a backpack, walking in Doi Nang Non Forest near the village of Pha Mee (Moo 6), less than a kilometre from the border.
When confronted, the men opened fire.
The exchange of fire ended after 15 minutes but the soldiers held back until the following morning as a precaution.
Daylight on Sunday revealed five dead bodies whose backpacks and three other sacks together contained 720,000 meth pills.
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