Chinese national wearing South Korean flag cap sentenced to 46 years in Thailand

A Chinese national arrested in Thailand for illegally possessing a large cache of lethal weapons has been sentenced to 46 years in prison.

The Pattaya Provincial Court in Chonburi province sentenced Sun, 31, to 46 years in prison on Monday for illegally possessing firearms, ammunition and military equipment, according to the Bangkok Post and other local media. The ruling was issued Aug. 3 local time.

Sun had been living in Pattaya for two years on a long-term visa and was indicted on charges of illegally storing a large quantity of weapons, including military firearms, C4 explosives and signal-jamming equipment.

His crimes came to light after a traffic accident. Police investigating a vehicle rollover found firearms inside the car and subsequently seized a large stockpile of military weapons during a search of his residence.

Among the items found at his home were two M16 rifles, 10 magazines, 791 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition, six grenades, 3.7 kilograms of C4 explosives, a tactical vest fitted with a bomb, and four Russian-made anti-personnel land mines. His mobile phone also contained footage of him firing a machine gun and conducting an underwater bomb detonation test.

Investigators found that some of the seized weapons had belonged to the Thai police. Sun had also received professional weapons training at the Cambodian prime minister's bodyguard headquarters and was found carrying multiple forged passports and identification documents.

Sun drew public attention when photos taken during his arrest in May showed him wearing a cap bearing the South Korean flag and the word "Korea." He was seen walking with his head bowed as he was taken into custody.

As the photos spread through local online communities and social media, speculation arose that Sun might be South Korean. The reason he was wearing the cap has not been disclosed.