Prayuth says clash weapons not military's

Prayuth says clash weapons not military's

42 bullets fired at Laksi, 39 from PDRC direction

Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha insists weapons used during the shootout at Laksi intersection on Saturday were not from the army's stockpiles.

All military weapons were accounted for and the soldiers assigned to help secure peace and order had not carried any, Gen Prayuth said.

He maintained that the military has strictly abided by its regulations regarding the use of weapons. Taking out a weapon from an army armoury involves going through the proper procedures and there must be an officer responsible for this.

If no official order was issued for the transfer of weapons or their use, then all military firearms must still be in the armoury, Gen Prayuth said.

"If weapons are taken out without anyone knowing then they had to have been stolen.

[The other explanation is] those weapons are not from the military, but from another place. Our inspection found no weapons were missing. Only firearms that were stolen from military armouries in 2010 have yet to be returned to the army."

"Let's help the army find out where the missing M-16 and Tavor rifles are. Everybody knows very well where the stolen weapons are. There are images [of the stolen weapons]. Let's ask the people involved to explain where the missing weapons are and whether those weapons were used to shoot anyone," said the army chief.

Gen Prayuth reiterated that soldiers were not involved in the bloody clash on Saturday. It is common to see people dress like soldiers and some civilians used to be military conscripts.

He urged critics not to view the use of grenades by armed men involved in the clash as a military strategy.

Gen Prayuth was speaking after the Laksi clash that left six people injured, one critically.

The skirmish occurred when 200 members of the anti-government People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) in Lat Phrao were making their way to help reinforce another PDRC group, led by Luang Pu Buddha Issara, to block the Laksi district office and prevent ballot papers from being delivered to polling stations for Sunday's election.

He urged people to think before believing in the veracity of images or news stories on social network sites.

Forensic Science Police Office chief Kamrop Panyakaew said forensic officers had examined the scene of Saturday's armed clash and found a total of 42 bullet holes.

The bullet holes were found on both the anti-election and pro-election group sides of the intersection.

Of the 42 gunshots, 39 were fired from the direction of the PDRC group and three shots were fired from the IT Square Building, where the red-shirt group had gathered.

Hardline Pathum Thani red-shirt leader, Wuthipong Kachathamkul, widely known as Ko Tee, recently accused the army chief of ordering to kill him.

Gen Prayuth shrugged off the accusation, saying Mr Wuthipong is a nobody.

"Who is he? I pay no attention. State officers could not act against the law. Think whether you should believe him [Ko Tee] or me," Gen Prayuth said.

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