The Thai military shot dead six people suspected of ketamine smuggling near the border with Burma, sources said on Tuesday.
The incident happened overnight from Sunday to Monday in Chiang Mai province (north), near the “Golden Triangle”, a border area with Laos and Burma that has been known for decades as a central point of drug production in Southeast Asia.
“We are alive and well, but six suspected human traffickers have lost their lives,” said the Pha Muang military special force, which patrols several border areas.
The army opened fire on gunfire from a group of “15 to 20 suspected men” who had refused to be searched. Filming lasted about ten minutes, she said.
The soldiers found 300 kilograms of ketamine, a psychedelic narcotic that is increasingly used as a drug, scattered in 19 backpacks left at the scene.
Three rifles and four cellphones were also seized.
In the same Chiang Mai province, the Thai military killed 15 people suspected of smuggling crystal methamphetamine from Burma in early December.