Tracing “Ming Chen Sun”: police firearms and official ammunition reveal vulnerabilities involving influential figures. A firearms expert points to an underground war weapon trade and confirms that RTA bullets clearly come from the Ordnance Department. It is suspected that police welfare guns are unofficially transferred with significant profit margins. Tags: [firearms, police guns, ammunition, underground trade, Ordnance Department, illegal possession, Thailand]
Following the arrest of Chinese national “Ming Chen Sun,” found in possession of numerous war weapons including ammunition traced to the Ordnance Department, Thai officials initially denied the connection. Although he was claimed to be a firearms collector, this case raises several suspicions, especially regarding firearms identified as police-issued guns originally bought and then resold. This highlights weaknesses in agency management, prompting public questions about whether in Thailand, money can buy anything.Tags: [arrest, firearms, police weapons, corruption, Thailand]
Investigations found one firearm—a Glock 26 pistol—originally purchased from the Metropolitan Police welfare program in 2002 by a police officer as a personal sidearm. This may signal an illicit trade network involving firearms under the guise of influential individuals.Tags: [firearms, police welfare program, Glock 26, illicit trade]
Thairath Online’s special news team consulted firearms expert Montree Tanjaiseu, who analyzed that underground war weapon trading does exist in Thailand. It likely involves smuggling across border areas or official government weapons leaking out, although the latter is more difficult.Tags: [firearms expert, underground trade, smuggling, government weapons]
Regarding ammunition marked clearly as belonging to the Ordnance Department on the packaging, civilians are normally prohibited from possessing such rounds. While some officials speculated they might be counterfeit, these cannot be faked due to packaging details and the Ordnance emblem stamped on the cartridge casings. It is suspected insiders might be illicitly selling these rounds. Further investigation is needed.Tags: [ammunition, Ordnance Department, illegal possession, counterfeit, investigation]
Legally licensed gun owners typically avoid using RTA (Royal Thai Army) ammunition because it is clearly illegal for civilians. RTA ammo is reserved for military use, and civilian possession is unlawful. Instead, civilians use commercial ammunition imported from the United States if they need rounds of this caliber.Tags: [ammunition, Royal Thai Army, legality, civilian use, imported ammo]
Comparing prices, commercially sold ammunition costs about 100 to 120 baht per round, whereas RTA ammunition is less than half that price.Tags: [ammunition prices, commercial ammo, RTA ammo]
The police firearm found in the Chinese man’s possession was a Glock 26 bought through the police welfare program in 2002, originally a personal sidearm. Montree explained that police welfare firearms are often transferred unofficially with rear markings, but such transfers are illegal and clearly prohibited on the license.Tags: [police firearm, welfare program, illegal transfer, Glock 26]
In terms of pricing, police guns transferred unofficially are not cheaper than those sold at gun shops, but buyers benefit from convenience, such as being allowed to test-fire the weapon beforehand—something not permitted with general commercial sales.Tags: [firearms pricing, unofficial transfer, convenience, test firing]
Interestingly, the police firearm in the Chinese man’s possession was passed through multiple unofficial transfers, none properly registered, so the legal owner on record remains the original police officer who first purchased it.Tags: [firearms ownership, unofficial transfer, police gun]
In this case, a police welfare gun bought at a low price can be transferred to others after five years of possession, but this was an unofficial transfer without the buyer obtaining proper documentation.Tags: [firearms transfer, police welfare gun, illegal transfer]
There is a significant number of unofficial firearm transfers, often based on trust between parties. Many buyers obtain firearm purchase licenses (type Por 3) and possession licenses (type Por 4), but after acquiring the guns, fail to transfer ownership properly. Possible reasons include higher profit from resale or inability to obtain the necessary licenses.Tags: [firearm licenses, unofficial transfers, profit motive]
Normally, both firearms and ammunition in official programs bear serial codes identifying their source units, allowing for tracking. The greater concern is illegally smuggled firearms, which are subject to laws penalizing unlawful possession with fines of 20,000 baht and imprisonment up to six months. Strict enforcement of these laws could help resolve the problem.Tags: [firearm tracking, illegal smuggling, penalties, law enforcement]
