Thai police prolong arrest of detained plane crew.

BANGKOK, December 25 (Itar-Tass) -- Thai police have prolonged the
arrest of the detained Il-76 crew for 12 days more, a police source said.
The crew was detained at Bangkok airport on December 12.
Cargo of arms prohibited for delivery from North Korea, including
portable missile systems and spare parts for ground-air missiles, were
found aboard the plane belonging to the Georgian airline Air West Georgia.
The aircraft arrived from Pyongyang.
According to the Thai police version, the cargo was destined for a
Middle East country. Charges of illegal arms possession and transportation
across the country are brought against the crew -- four Kazakh citizens
and one Belarussian.
The crewmembers flatly deny the accusations, saying they were in a
Pyongyang hotel during the loading. They said that before the flight they
only checked how the cargo was fastened. The cargo was sealed, the pilots
noted in their statement their attorney cited to Itar-Tass.
-0-pan/ast