Bangkok – The Aceh separatists' regional connection was bared after police in Thailand seized a major arms cache, including 68 AK-47 rifles, bound for the rebels in Indonesia's troubled northern province.

Police in the southern Thai province of Satun said yesterday that they had also arrested two suspects in the latest of a series of interceptions of arms shipments destined for rebel armies in Asia.

"We arrested them during a shipment at La-ngu district last night at 9 pm while the arms were being transported by a small boat to open waters in the Andaman Sea," said La-ngu police chief Rattakarn Karnchanachot.

The confiscated weapons included 68 AK-47 rifles, five handguns and ammunition. The suspects confessed they were paid 10,000 baht to transport the arms.

Satun police commander Sathien Chansawang said the arms were destined for rebels in Aceh, where the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) has been fighting since 1976 for a separate state.

"The arms were bought from Cambodia and they were collected for transport by sea to rebels in Aceh province," he said.

"The suspects confessed that they have transported twice before some 40 guns for the rebels in Aceh." National police chief Sant Sarutanond said he had sent his deputy Kowit Wattana to Satun to supervise the interrogation of the suspects.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra promised to launch a crackdown on illegal arms smugglers. "We are checking on this matter across the country, and there will be a crackdown before an amnesty is issued to war weapon holders," he told reporters.

Earlier this month, the authorities in the southern province of Phuket seized six rocket-propelled grenades, two M-67 hand grenades and 596 AK-47 bullets and arrested one Thai suspect. Sources close to the Thai military said the Tamil Tigers operated a sizeable base on a Thai island 15 km off Phuket last year.

Meanwhile, Indonesian Vice-President Hamzah Haz said the government had ruled out any imposition of martial law in Aceh.