BANGKOK (AFP) – The Thai military killed five suspected drug traffickers in a jungle shootout in Thailand’s north, officials said yesterday – the third such deadly clash in two months.
The incident happened in the early hours of Thursday morning in Chiang Rai province which is near the infamous “Golden Triangle” border region between Thailand, Laos and Myanmar – long a lucrative hub for the illegal drug trade.
A patrol encountered a group of five suspected smugglers with backpacks who refused to be searched and then started shooting with an unknown weapon, the military said.
Close to 500,000 methamphetamine pills and a gun were found in the group’s possession.
