Police to verify if bombs seized in Thailand came from Malaysia

KOTA BARU: Police will verify the claim by a suspect that the 41 homemade pipe bombs seized by Thai police at Narathiwat last week were made in Kelantan.
The bombs were seized during a road block about 6km from the Thai-Malaysia border at a Thai village called Kampung Saring in Takbai.
Sources said it is being determined if the explosives in the lorry driven by the suspect were from Malaysia as alleged by the 39-year-old driver during interrogation.
However, Kelantan police are not taking chances and have stepped up security at exit points in Sungei Golok.
Kelantan deputy police chief SAC Datuk Din Ahmad who was contacted by theSun yesterday said it was a serious matter if the claim was true.
"We are yet to know the details as from where the explosives were picked up in Kelantan if what the suspect alleged is true," he said.
"We are in touch with our Thai counterpart to seek more information. This is a serious matter as it is a large number of explosives. If it is from Malaysia, we want to know where. However, we are not taking this lightly and have intensified security in the vicinity of the border."
Din Ahmad said those with any information on the bombs should come forward and assist police in the investigations.
He said issues related to militancy in Kelantan were well contained under the watch of state and federal police.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Noor Rashid Ibrahim said on Sunday if there was truth to the claim, police will act to ensure Malaysia is not turned into a hub for militants.
On Sunday, concurring with Thai police, it was reported that the Thai Army's fourth region commander, Lt Gen Piyawat Nakwanich said the home-made bombs were meant for use in "staging attacks" by militants after the fasting month of Ramadan.
He said the seized home-made bombs which each weighed about 500 grammes, timers for the explosives and several communication devices found in the lorry were smuggled into southern Thailand via "natural border route".
It is also believed that the smuggler had used the narrow Sungai Golok river separating the two countries to smuggle the explosives into Thailand.