Japan was expected to decide today whether to prosecute the former Bangkok police chief arrested for trying to carry a gun onto a plane at Narita Airport
Police Lt. Gen. Kamronwit Thoopkrachang has been interrogated twice by Japanese police since he was arrested Monday at Narita Airport trying to board a flight back to Bangkok with a gun and several bullets in his bag.
Should Japanese prosecutors take the case to court, Kamronwit could seek to be released on bail.
If convicted, Kamronwit could be jailed for one to 10 years under Japanese law.
Japan has some of the strictest gun control laws in the world, and that combined with its stringent rule of law make it one of the worst places to be busted with a firearm.
The diplomatic situation behind his case likely contributed to his speedy review, as criminal suspects in Japan can be held up to 30 days without being charged.
Back in Thailand, officials have scrambled to explain how Kamronwit got through Suvarnabhumi Airport onto a Thai Airways flight with the gun last week.
Police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri suggested, without blinking, the gun may have been too small to be detected by an X-ray machine, according to The Nation. An airport official sidestepped the question and stated decisively that no staff saw Kamronwit carrying the gun in CCTV footage.
Good to know, good to know.
Photo: Fuji News Network
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Former Bangkok police chief arrested with gun at Japanese airport
