Bangkok: The military maintains weapons depots nationwide in accordance with international standards. The Army spokesperson affirmed that the military maintains weapons depots nationwide according to international standards. He also stated that sabotage, possibly carried out by undercover agents, would be difficult due to the depots being located in inland areas far from the border.
According to Thai News Agency, Major General Winthai Suwari, spokesperson for the Royal Thai Army, addressed the issue of weapons storage following the fire at the Border Patrol Police ammunition depot in Surin Province. He stated that weapons storage is managed according to established regulations and by personnel, adhering to international standards. The location and management of the storage area are the same for both military and police depots. Most incidents are caused by environmental factors, such as extreme heat, leading to igniters. He added that risk management involves separating stored items, rather than storing them all together in one place.
Major General Winthai also acknowledged that, in addition to the hot weather, other factors were involved in the explosion at the weapons depot, such as moving the weapons for cleaning. However, he assured that the weapons, being dangerous objects, were stored to international standards.
When asked if the possibility of sabotage could be ruled out, Major General Winthai said it was unlikely, as the information they had did not suggest such a motive. He added that most of the weapons depots were not located near the border but were inland and quite remote. Regarding the possibility of sabotage by spies, he said that would also be difficult, as the depots were not situated in communities or close to other buildings, but were separate. He noted that if the depot contained large explosives, the building construction would be different. Furthermore, considering the incident involved standard unit weapons, the damage was not considered very serious.
"Everything has a management process in place. The location, storage methods, usage, and distribution are all within the system. We regularly emphasize security measures for all Army weapons depots nationwide, especially during the summer," Major General Winthai said.
Major General Winthai added that, regarding the Army, officers are already instructed to take extra precautions and increase security measures at weapons depots during the hot season. Historically, incidents of this nature tend to occur during hot weather. Regarding the public's observation that the fire didn't occur during the hot midday hours, other factors need to be considered. Sometimes, ignition can occur due to the accumulation of heat accumulated throughout the day. Furthermore, weapons depot personnel are already required to follow regulations, such as routine patrols.
Regarding public concerns that the weapons and ammunition destroyed in the fire, which were used for border security, might affect security in the area, Major General Winthai responded that the depot was at the unit level, and the ammunition used was only for unit-level weapons. To his understanding, the quantity of ammunition was not large, so the impact would be minimal. According to regulations for weapons storage, unit-level depots maintain a certain amount of ammunition, which is replenished when depleted. Therefore, the ammunition involved in the incident is considered to have been used for a short period. Furthermore, the unit's duty was to secure the border area, and they did not possess heavy weapons like those found in central-level weapons depots.