The Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team from the Navy base at Tab Lamu along with the EOD team from the Phuket Provincial Police arrived at Nai Yang Beach this afternoon to examine the object, found by a local fisherman. (See story here).
“By carefully inspecting the object, we found that it is a torpedo which may be as old as from before World War II,” said Lieutenant Junior Grade (LTJG) Thanakrit Jamjit of the EOD team from the Navy base in Phang Nga.
“The torpedo will be pulled back into the water and will be destroyed under a controlled explosion with blast zone safe radius of 400m,” he said.
The torpedo will be moved to an area where it will not cause any harm to the corals offshore the national park, LTJG Thanajit added.
“Certainly the torpedo’s destruction must not cause damage to coral reefs,” LTJG Thanajit said.
However, the EOD teams must wait for the high tide before starting to remove the torpedo from the beach and must confirm exactly how the torpedo is to be destroyed.
Large yellow buoys were tied to the ordnance to mark its location, with the buoys tethered to a tree to ensure the warhead does not float off.
“We will discuss the best method of disposing of the torpedo with other officers and officials, including our deputy commander, tomorrow,” LTJG Thanajit said.
Meanwhile, officers have been posted at the site to ensure a safe perimeter is maintained throughout the night, The Phuket News was told.