Shootout at Myanmar-Thai border: 15 suspected drug smugglers killed

Members of the Pha Muang Task Force and Thai security personnel with confiscated bags of amphetamine tablets, following a clash with suspected drug traffickers in Chiang Rai province's Mae Fah Luang district in northern Thailand. - AFP

BANGKOK: Thai soldiers killed 15 suspected drug smugglers in a shootout in a remote northern district near the Myanmar border, an army official said on Monday (Dec 18).

The clash on Saturday evening took place in Chiang Rai province's Mae Fah Luang district, close to the "Golden Triangle" where Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet, which has long been a hub for smuggling.