Bus breakdown reveals weapons smuggling | Bangkok Post: learning

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Bus breaks down, passengers leave bus, then discovery of military weapon cache of a mystery passenger with military-style haircut in the bus.

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Crimes

Weapons cache found at Mor Chit

5/08/2012
Online Reporters

Bangkok police on Sunday seized 9 hand grenades and an AK-47 assault rifle along with more than 200 rounds of ammunition from a privately-owned bus parked on the premises of Mor Chit Bus Terminal.

The weapons were found in a black suitcase in the luggage compartment of a bus owned by Ratchasima Tour Co at outbound platform No 59 in the late evening.

Reports said the bus containing a 10-4810 Bangkok licence plate, travelled from Nakhon Ratchasima to Bangkok, but it broke down near the National Memorial on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, prompting the bus company to send another vehicle to pick up the passengers and take them to the bus terminal.

Later, the bus was fixed and driven to be parked at Mor Chit's Platform No 59, where Anong Deejantuek, the driver’s assistant, found the suspect suitcase and alerted police.

The 191 Special Branch Police and explosives ordnance disposal (EOD) officers rushed to the scene and cordoned off the area around the platform, causing panic among commuters.

Pol Col Soonthorn Kongklum, chief of Bang Sue police station, said they found in the suitcase 9 grenades of different types, including M67s, plus an AK-47 along with two magazines for an AK rifle and 211 ammunition rounds. The weapons were placed on two pillows..

Pol Col Soonthorn said police had received an intelligence report that a gang would deliver war weapons to the Mor Chit 2 Bus Terminal by bus and had prepared to search the bus when it arrived at the station. However, the suspect may have known about the operation and got off the bus before it arrived.

Ms Anong told police that the owner of the suitcase was a man wearing short hair similar to a military-style haircut with tan skin and was about 175 cm tall. Police are still trying to track down the suspect.

(Source: Bangkok Post, Crimes, Weapons cache found at Mor Chit, 5/08/2012, Online Reporters, link) 


Weapons Smuggling Vocabulary
 
weapon - something used to cause damage to things and harm and injury to people, such as a gun or a bomb อาวุธ (See Wikipedia)
war weapons

smuggling - carrying something that is illegal from one place to another
smuggling weapons

cache - a quantity of things that have been hidden, especially weapons สิ่งที่ซ่อนไว้
weapons cache - a hidden collection of weapons
weapons cache found at Mor Chit

hand grenades - a small bomb thrown by hand at the enemy in warfare -(See Wikipedia)

assault - a physical attack on someone ทำร้าย an attack by the armed forces การทำร้ายด้วยอาวุธ
rifle - a large gun with a long barrel that you hold against your shoulder to fire ปืนยาว, ปืนไรเฟิล
AK-47 assault rifle

ammunition - bullets, bombs, etc that can be fired from a weapon อาวุธยุทธภัณฑ์, ลูกกระสุน
200 rounds of ammunition

suspect (noun) - a person who is thought to have committed a crime ผู้ต้องสงสัย
track down the suspect

suspect (adjective) - when people think or believe that something that is not right (the thing has something wrong with it)
suspect suitcase

premises - the buildings and land that a business or organisation uses ที่ดินและสิ่งปลูกสร้าง ในที่นี้หมายถึงในรั้ว ในบริเวณทำเนียบรัฐบาล
on the premises of - at a place (either in the buildings or on the property surrounding the buildings)
on the premises of Mor Chit Bus Terminal.

Bangkok police on Sunday seized 9 hand grenades and an AK-47 assault rifle along with more than 200 rounds of ammunition from a privately-owned bus parked on the premises of Mor Chit Bus Terminal.

compartment - a container built into a vehicle
luggage compartment - the place under a bus where bags of passengers are put

platform - an area next to a railway track or in a bus station where passengers get onto and off trains or buses ชานชาลา
outbound platform - the place where you get on a bus (before it leaves the station for it journey)

The weapons were found in a black suitcase in the luggage compartment of a bus owned by Ratchasima Tour Co at outbound platform No 59 in the late evening.

licence - an official document that gives someone permission to do or use something ใบอนุญาต
licence plate - the small metal thing on back and front of car with number (used to identify car)

broke down - when a car (or some other machine) has a problem and does not work anymore (needs to be repaired or fixed)

prompting - causing
prompting the bus company to send another vehicle to pick up the passenger

vehicle - a machine that you travel in or on, especially one with an engine that travels on roads, e.g., a car, bus, van, truck, etc. ยานพาหนะ
terminal - a large building at an airport where passengers arrive and leave อาคารผู้โดยสารขาเข้าขาออก

pick up - when a car or bus gets people from one place to bring to another place
pick up passengers and take them to the bus terminal

Reports said the bus containing a 10-4810 Bangkok licence plate, travelled from Nakhon Ratchasima to Bangkok, but it broke down near the National Memorial on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, prompting the bus company to send another vehicle to pick up the passengers and take them to the bus terminal.

fixed - repaired (made to work again after being broken)
the bus was fixed

alerted police

Later, the bus was fixed and driven to be parked at Mor Chit's Platform No 59, where Anong Deejantuek, the driver’s assistant, found the suspect suitcase and alerted police.

explosives - substances or pieces of equipment that can cause explosions สิ่งที่ระเบิดได้
disposal - getting rid of something or, in this case, making an explosive safe การกำจัด

scene of the crime - a place where a crime happened, where some event is happening 

rushed - go somewhere very quickly ด้วยความเร่งรีบ
rushed to the scene

explosives ordnance disposal (EOD) officers rushed to the scene

cordon off area - when a dangerous area or place where a crime happened is closed to the public by the police

cordoned off the area around the platform

panic - a sudden strong feeling of fear and confusion (See glossary) ความหวาดวิตก

commuters - people who regularly travel between work and home คนเดินทางระหว่างบ้านและที่ทำงาน
causing panic among commuters

The 191 Special Branch Police and explosives ordnance disposal (EOD) officers rushed to the scene and cordoned off the area around the platform, causing panic among commuters. Pol Col Soonthorn Kongklum, chief of Bang Sue police station, said they found in the suitcase 9 grenades of different types, including M67s, plus an AK-47 along with two magazines for an AK rifle and 211 ammunition rounds. The weapons were placed on two pillows..

intelligence - information collected about the secret plans of an enemy, criminal organisations, competitors, etc. ข่าวกรอง ข้อมูลลับ
intelligence report

search - to look somewhere carefully in order to find something ค้นหา
search the bus

Pol Col Soonthorn said police had received an intelligence report that a gang would deliver war weapons to the Mor Chit 2 Bus Terminal by bus and had prepared to search the bus when it arrived at the station. However, the suspect may have known about the operation and got off the bus before it arrived.  Ms Anong told police that the owner of the suitcase was a man wearing short hair similar to a military-style haircut with tan skin and was about 175 cm tall. Police are still trying to track down the suspect.

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