IL-76 cargo plane crew released in Thailand; en-route back home

The crew of the IL-76 cargo plane, seized by Thailand for carrying illegal weapons from North Korea in December 2009, has been released from a local immigration prison. The Russian news agency Ria Novosti reports that the pilots are expected to depart on a Kazakh Airlines flight to Astana within one hour. The released crew also includes Belarus national Mikhail Petukhov who will also depart for Astana from the Bangkok airport.