Discovery of large 'bomber drones' causes concern among Thai security forces
KOTA BARU: Two large drones were discovered buried in the ground in Sadao district near Songkhla about 2.5km from the Malaysian border on June 12.
The discovery of the drones, which authorities confirmed had been modified to carry out aerial bombings, had raised serious concern among Thai security agencies.
According to a Thai security spokesman in an official Facebook posting, local authorities were focusing on two key theories following the discovery.
It is believed that the drones were either intended for a terror attack on an economic or security area, or used to protect cross-border smuggling operations, particularly along the Thai-Malaysian border.
The spokesman said the drones were found on June 12 at 7pm in Moo 2, Rai Ok village, Samnak Kham area.
"A joint team comprising soldiers from the 5th Infantry Task Force, local police, border patrol police, EOD units and forensic teams from Region 9 were deployed to the scene the next day.
"Initial inspection revealed that the drones had been modified for combat use, equipped with a 60mm mortar launch system with six tubes, as well as a separate launcher for improvised explosive devices.
"However, no explosives were found at the scene," said the spokesman.
The spokesman said a forensics team had collected evidence and latent fingerprints and sent the drones to the Sadao police station for further investigations.
Another Thai security force said the drones were capable of flying at altitudes of up to 800 metres, with a range of 8km to 10km, and could carry a payload of 10kg to 15kg.
"Their flight systems were found to include a GPS home-point locking system, allowing for precise launch and return coordination," said the spokesman.
Thai security agencies had started investigations on the origins of the attack drones and their investigations had found links to criminal groups.
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