Anthony Cheng was flying to a war zone in Iraq for an assignment
Bangkok:
A British journalist was charged with arms possession on Tuesday after he was arrested at a Thai airport for checking in flak jacket plates and gas masks, standard equipment for media heading into war zones and other hostile environments.
Anthony Cheng, 46, was detained at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport on Monday along with Florian Witulski, a German freelance journalist, before he could board a flight to Iraq via Turkey for an assignment for China-based broadcaster CCTV English.
Thailand's Arms Control Act stipulates that gas masks and ballistic vests are war weapons and those carrying them need a licence.
In August 2015, a Hong Kong photojournalist was arrested at the same airport for carrying body armour and a helmet. Charges were later dropped.
Cheng was carrying three gas masks and four plates for safety vests, said Somchart Maneerat, a police investigator.
"He faces charge of unlicensed possession of war weapons," Somchart told Reuters.
Cheng faces up to five years in prison if he is found guilty, Somchart added.
A lawyer for Cheng said he had requested bail.
Witulski, 31, was also detained on Monday night but released on Tuesday.
Witulski told Reuters they were not aware that licences were required for the safety gear.
"The plates were loose and were taken as check-in baggage as we have done before many times," Witulski told Reuters, adding that he and Cheng had travelled to Iraq and Afghanistan several times and taken plates with them without being stopped by Thai authorities.
The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand urged Thai authorities to drop the charge against Cheng, saying it has offered to work with the government to allow journalists to carry protective equipment.
"Under the present implementation of the 1987 law, they are presented with an invidious choice: break Thai law or increase the risk to life and limb," the body said in a statement.
"It is worth recalling that two foreign journalists were killed in the violence in Bangkok in 2010; both might have survived had they been wearing body armour."
In 2010, Reuters cameraman Hiro Muramoto and Italian freelance photographer Fabio Polenghi were shot dead, while covering clashes between anti-government protesters and Thai troops in the capital.
($1 = 34.15 baht)
(Reporting by Patpicha Tanakasempipat, Amy Sawitta Lefevre, and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by Nick Macfie)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Anthony Cheng, 46, was detained at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport on Monday along with Florian Witulski, a German freelance journalist, before he could board a flight to Iraq via Turkey for an assignment for China-based broadcaster CCTV English.
Thailand's Arms Control Act stipulates that gas masks and ballistic vests are war weapons and those carrying them need a licence.
In August 2015, a Hong Kong photojournalist was arrested at the same airport for carrying body armour and a helmet. Charges were later dropped.
Cheng was carrying three gas masks and four plates for safety vests, said Somchart Maneerat, a police investigator.
"He faces charge of unlicensed possession of war weapons," Somchart told Reuters.
Cheng faces up to five years in prison if he is found guilty, Somchart added.
A lawyer for Cheng said he had requested bail.
Witulski, 31, was also detained on Monday night but released on Tuesday.
Witulski told Reuters they were not aware that licences were required for the safety gear.
"The plates were loose and were taken as check-in baggage as we have done before many times," Witulski told Reuters, adding that he and Cheng had travelled to Iraq and Afghanistan several times and taken plates with them without being stopped by Thai authorities.
The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand urged Thai authorities to drop the charge against Cheng, saying it has offered to work with the government to allow journalists to carry protective equipment.
"Under the present implementation of the 1987 law, they are presented with an invidious choice: break Thai law or increase the risk to life and limb," the body said in a statement.
"It is worth recalling that two foreign journalists were killed in the violence in Bangkok in 2010; both might have survived had they been wearing body armour."
In 2010, Reuters cameraman Hiro Muramoto and Italian freelance photographer Fabio Polenghi were shot dead, while covering clashes between anti-government protesters and Thai troops in the capital.
($1 = 34.15 baht)
(Reporting by Patpicha Tanakasempipat, Amy Sawitta Lefevre, and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by Nick Macfie)
© Thomson Reuters 2017
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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