VZCZCXYZ0006
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBK #6129/01 3470839
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 130839Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY BANGKOK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1046
INFO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS BANGKOK 006129 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
PM/DTTC FOR BLUE LANTERN COORDINATOR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ETTC KOMC TH
SUBJECT: BLUE LANTERN LEVEL 3: PRE-LICENSE END-USE CHECK ON 
LICENSE 05-050070198 AND 05-050071878 
 
REF: A. SECSTATE 157006 
     ¶B. KBALLARD-THINES DECEMBER 6 EMAIL 
 
¶1. (U) According to the Ministry of Commerce, Department of 
Business Development, Aekphatt Firearms Ltd Partnership is 
registered as follows: 
 
Registration No. 0103511003562 
Registered Date: March 6, 1968 
Status: Limited Partnership 
Name: Aekphatt Firearms, Limited Partnership 
Capital Registration: 2,550,000 baht 
Business partners: Chatri Sukthawi, Krit Khantapura, 
Thanyaphat Suwanphanit, Thawisak Manprasong, and Phimphloi 
Phongphakdi. 
Managing Partners: Chatri Sukthawi, Krit Khantapura, and 
Thawisak Manprasong.  Chatri, Krit, or Thawisak may make a 
legal commitment with the shop's stamp. 
 
Location:   507/37 Mu 7, Nong Pling Sub-District, Nakhon 
Sawan District, Nakhon Sawan Province 
The company has submitted annual financial reports for 
1999-2006. 
 
Business Purpose: To sell guns, ammunition, equipment, and 
gun accessories. 
 
¶2. (U) According to the Telephone Directory Center, Aekphatt 
Firearms Ltd., Part. is not listed.  Krit Khantapura, a 
Managing Partner, provided the firm's telephone number as 
02-623-8688-9.  The Directory Center subsequently reported 
that these numbers are registered under the name of Worathep 
Khantapura, located at 2/5, Old Siam Plaza, Phahurat Road, 
Wang Burapha Phirom, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200.  Worathep is 
the father of Krit Khantapura, a Partner Manager. 
 
¶3. (U) POL FSN December 6 made an unannounced visit to the 
firm.  It is located in a four-story concrete building in a 
section of Bangkok where many other gun shops are located. 
POL FSN met with Krit and Worathep Khantapura.  The shop is 
located at 2/5 The Old Siam Plaza, Bangkok, as stated in Ref. 
¶A.  Krit and Worathep confirmed the planned purchases of 
1,770 .38 Cal. and 820 .357 Cal. revolvers from Smith and 
Wesson Corp. for the Department of Provincial Administration, 
Ministry of Interior, as stated in Ref. A.  The purchasing 
agency is the Bureau of the Territorial Defense Volunteer 
Administration of the Department of Provincial 
Administration.  Krit confirmed the information as found in 
the business registration and presented the shop's 
Gun-Selling and Possession Permits issued by the Ministry of 
Interior, No. 214/2550, dated September 18, 2007, to expire 
September 17, 2008.  Aekphatt opened a head office in Nakhon 
Sawan in 2006 and the Bangkok office is now a branch office. 
Chatri Sukthawi, a partner, provided copies of import permits 
No. 570/2550, dated June 28, 2007, to expire June 27, 2008, 
for the import of 1,770 revolvers and No. 571/2550, dated 
June 28, 2007, to expire June 27, 2008, for the import of 820 
revolvers.  He also provided the copies of Aekphatt's 
Purchase Orders No. 1/2007 and No. 2/2007, not dated, to the 
Smith & Wesson for the purchases of the revolvers. 
 
¶4. (U) POL FSN met December 6 with Somchai Kiatkongkaew, 
Chief of the Welfare Section, Bureau of the Territorial 
Defense Volunteer Administration, Department of Provincial 
Administration, Ministry of Interior.  Somchai is responsible 
for the purchase of the revolvers and confirmed the two 
purchases as stated in Ref. A.  Somchai presented the 
purchase order for 2,590 revolvers (1,770 and 820) No. 
101/2550, dated October 5, 2007, signed between Bureau of the 
Territorial Defense Volunteer Administration and Aekphatt, 
and an official letter issued by his Bureau in English, dated 
July 2007, confirming the purchase. 
 
¶5. (U) Additional questions per Ref. B: 
 
What are the procedures by which MoI distributes these 
firearms to other agencies and/or individual law enforcement 
officials? 
 
Answer: The guns have been ordered by Bureau of Territorial 
Defense Volunteer Administration in Bangkok and will be sold 
to government officials in the security sector.  The guns 
will be kept in controlled storage prior to sale by the 
Bureau.  Officials must pick up the gun in person and present 
permits in order to receive the gun.  These guns are not sold 
to any other agency. 
 
Does the Government of Thailand maintain records that 
identify each firearm by serial number and to whom each 
 
firearm has been distributed? 
 
Answer:  Each gun would have both US and Thai serial numbers. 
 The Bureau of Registration Administration, Ministry of 
Interior, will maintain these records along with the name, 
address, and other information for each individual purchasing 
a gun. 
 
What requirements exist for an individual to purchase a 
firearm from MoI? 
 
Answer: 1) The purchaser must be a government or state 
official (police, military, MoI officials, or civil servants 
working in a security-related field), and 2) must obtain 
permission to buy the gun from their supervisor and the local 
registrar (Bureau of Registration Administration for Bangkok 
purchasers and District Offices in the provinces) based on 
the Thai Firearm, Ammunition, Explosive Articles, Firework 
and Firearm Imitation Article Act 1947. 
 
What are the limitations, if any, for an individual who seeks 
to do so? 
 
Answer: Guns purchased under this program cannot be resold or 
transferred to others, except as an inheritance.  The 
purchasing official must use personal funds to buy the gun, 
not state funds.  Ordinary citizens are prohibited from 
purchasing guns under this program.  An official who wants to 
purchase a gun under this program must not already own a gun 
or have purchased a different type of gun from a separate 
source.  Officials can only purchase a gun from this program 
once in their career. 
 
What weapons are being replaced by MOI and in what quantity? 
 
Answer: None.  These guns are for private/individual use, not 
for government use or for replacement purposes. 
 
What will be done with the older firearms? 
 
Answer: N/A, as stated above. 
 
Does the Government of Thailand have specific procedures to 
collect the firearms that are being replaced? 
 
Answer: N/A, as stated above. 
 
What security measures are taken by MoI to manage the chain 
of possession of these firearms? 
 
Answer: After distribution, it is the individual owner's 
responsibility to secure the gun.  The Bureau of Registration 
Administration will be the agency to track the guns to ensure 
that they remain in the possession of the licensed owners. 
 
¶6. (U) Prior to distribution, the guns will be stored in an 
iron-walled facility that measures approximately five by ten 
by three meters.  The room is located inside a one-story 
concrete building on the compound of the Bureau of the 
Territorial Defense Volunteer Administration.  The iron walls 
are approximately five millimeters thick.  The room has an 
iron gate with two key-locks for access.  There is a 
closed-circuit television camera in front of the room.  The 
room does have smoke detectors or a fire control system.  At 
night and on holidays, ten armed guards secure the compound 
with two guards stationed in front of the storage facility. 
BOYCE