Thai Authorities Seize Massive North Korean Arms Cache!

Thirty-five tons of North Korean weapons have been seized by Thai officials. At Fox News, "North Korean Weapons Seizure Could Affect Nuke Talks":

The seizure in Thailand of some 35 tons of war weaponry from North Korea and the arrest of five foreigners charged with illegal possession of arms may prove a blow to efforts by the United States to negotiate a halt to Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions, observers said.

Thai authorities, reportedly acting on a tip from their American counterparts, impounded an Ilyushin 76 transport plane, carrying explosives, rocket-propelled grenades and components for surface-to-air missiles, during a refueling stop at Bangkok's Don Muang airport Saturday. Four men from Kazakhstan and one from Belarus were detained.

Also, at the Wall Street Journal, "Officials Probe North Korea Arms Flight: Plane Loaded With Weapons, Detained in Bangkok Under New U.N. Rules, Expected to Reveal Details on Pyongyang Dealing":

Thai authorities will spend the next several days sifting through a massive cache of explosives, missiles and other weapons seized from a plane from North Korea in a case that could offer new details about the secretive country's involvement in the international illicit-weapons trade.

Thai officials detained the plane and its five crew members late Friday after they landed at Bangkok's Don Muang Airport for refueling. Although the final destination of the plane remained unclear, a Thai government spokesman said it was scheduled to land next in Sri Lanka for further refueling and was possibly headed to another location after that.

The detention of the plane and cargo is among the first executions of new rules created by the United Nations Security Council in June to try to halt Pyongyang's ability to sell and transport arms. The rules were developed after North Korea tested a nuclear explosive in late May in defiance of previous U.N. sanctions.

Since then, international authorities have tracked at least two vessels, including a ship detained in the United Arab Emirates carrying North Korean arms and explosive powder that was headed to nearby Iran. But the size of the latest haul -- more than 30 tons -- could provide a broader range of information about the variety and quality of weapons North Korea is capable of producing.

More at the link.

See also, "North Korea, Which Was Removed from the List of State Sponsors of Terrorism Last Year ..."