CHIANG RAI: Five drug couriers were killed in a clash with soldiers from the Pha Muang Force in the Doi Nang Non mountain range in Mae Sai district near the border with Myanmar on Saturday. One million methamphetamine pills were seized, according to media reports.
As night fell, the soldiers from the 2nd Cavalry Task Force lying in wait near Pha Mi village in tambon Wiang Pha Kham, about 700 metres from the border, spotted seven armed men carrying backpacks walking along a jungle trail.
When the soldiers told them to stop and lay down their weapons for a search, the men opened fire, leading to a gunbattle that lasted about 15 minutes.
After the gunfire stopped, the officers did not rush to examine the clash site in the dark, but laid siege to the spot and called for reinforcements.
Examining the spot on Sunday morning, soldiers found the bodies of five unidentified men, believed to be tribesmen from across the border.
Five sacks, each containing about 200,000 methamphetamine pills, were found near the bodies. A quantity of assorted ammunition was also recovered.
There are two natural border-crossings near the clash site, close to Sampi village in Myammar's Tachilek province known as a drug production base of Muser tribesmen led by Lt Gen Yi Se.
Drugs have been smuggled through the two border-crossings into Mae Ai district of Chiang Mai and Mae Fa Luang, Mae Chan and Mae Sai districts of Chiang Rai, leading to frequent clashes with the Thai authorities.