British journalist arrested in Thailand for carrying body armor

A British journalist is facing up to five years in prison in Thailand after being found in possession of body armor and other protective gear.

Tony Cheng, a freelance correspondent for Chinese state broadcaster CGTN, told CNN he was charged Monday night with possessing "war weapons" after being stopped with German colleague Florian Witulski at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The pair were en route to the war-torn Iraqi city of Mosul, where they have reported from in the past. A large-scale military operation is ongoing in Mosul, where Iraqi government forces are attempting to wrest control of the city from ISIS.

Cheng had a gas mask and body armor in his check-in luggage. Both items are classified as restricted military equipment under Thailand's 1987 Arms Control Act.

"A customs office informed us they found items which looked like military weapons," police Lt. Col. Somchart Maneerat told CNN. "(In searching Cheng's luggage) we found plates, which can be used in flak jackets. And flak jackets and their parts are classified as military weapons."

Cheng was released after 15 hours in detention, and his wife paid 100,000 baht ($3,000) in bail, the police official said. He also had to surrender his passport.

If convicted, Cheng faces up to five years in prison and a fine of 50,000 baht ($1,500).

'No conceivable threat'

In a statement, the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand condemned the arrest, saying the British reporter "posed no conceivable threat to national security."

In 2015, Hong Kong photojournalist Anthony Kwan was charged under the same law for carrying body armor, according to the South China Morning Post. Charges were eventually dropped in that case.

The correspondents' club said it had offered to work with the Thai government to carve out exceptions for when journalists working in conflict zones might be able to carry restricted protective equipment.

Two foreign reporters -- Japanese cameraman Hiro Muramoto and Italian photojournalist Fabio Polenghi -- were killed while covering violence in Thailand in 2010. The correspondents' club pointed out that both were shot and "might have survived had they been wearing body armor."

News Courtesy: www.cnn.com