Phang-nga police arrest two men after explosive device is found in car

Two men have been held for questioning after police found a stopwatch with a wire connected to a circuit board and some explosives in their car, when it was stopped as they were heading for Phuket from Songkhla province early Tuesday morning.

Police, at a checkpoint in front of the Phang-nga provincial hall, noticed a private car turning into the provincial bus terminal at about 3.30am and ordered the driver to stop.

The driver, Muhamad, and the passenger, Sulaiman, both claimed that they were hired to drive the vehicle from Thepa district in Songkhla province to Phuket.

Police searched the car and found a plastic bag inside a handbag, which contained the stopwatch and circuit board. A small amount of explosive was found elsewhere in the vehicle.

The seized items were then placed in two old car tyres and police alerted an explosive ordnance disposal unit.