Two armed drug smugglers were killed in a clash with a patrol of rangers in Chiang Rai along the Thai-Myanmar border on Thursday.
The army’s Pha Muang Force reportedly spotted between five and seven armed men with backpacks walking through a forest near Ban Huai Kra in Mae Fa Luang district at 7.15pm.
The officers told the men to stop for a search, but the latter refused and started shooting, which prompted the soldiers to return fire. The ensuing gunfight lasted about five minutes, before the gang escaped.
No soldiers were injured. Officers set up a defensive position in the area as it was after sunset and getting dark.
On Friday, officers inspected the scene and found the bodies of two of the smugglers who had been fatally shot. Soldiers found two AK-47 assault rifles and two batches of 4,000 speed pills near the bodies.
They assumed the pair had been the frontline force to protect the drug caravan. Teams have been deployed to track down the remaining gang members, said a source.