Pubdate: Thu, 06 Mar 2003
Source: Bangkok Post (Thailand)
Copyright: The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. 2003
Contact:  http://www.bangkokpost.co.th/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/39
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/area/Thailand
Note: On Feb. 1, 2003, Thailand instituted a 3-month campaign to eradicate
all drugs.

ARMY WILL SEAL BORDER WITH BURMA

Troops Redeployed Amid Pill Influx Fears

The army has been told to seal the border with Burma to stop drugs getting
in.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra told the military, police and local
administration officials to work together in their drug suppression drive on
the border with Burma, the main drug route, to prevent a new influx of
methamphetamines.

Defence Minister Gen Thammarak Issarangura na Ayudhya said Mr Thaksin was
worried trafficking might increase given the shortage of methamphetamines
inside the country since the campaign began.

The price of yaa baa on the other side of the border was much cheaper, so
smuggling could be an attractive option.

Prime Minister Thaksin yesterday presided over a drug meeting at Government
House.

``We discussed measures for sealing the border to prevent an influx of
drugs,'' said the defence minister.

The military would have to work with police and the Interior Ministry.

The Government House meeting was attended by army commander Gen Somdhat
Attanand, navy commander Adm Thasweesak Somapha, national police chief Pol
Gen Sant Sarutanond and Pol Lt-Gen Chidchai Wansathit, secretary-general of
the Office of Narcotics Control Board.

Pol Gen Sant said border patrol police and immigration police would be told
to work with the military.

``We have to step up our cooperation to make our fight against drugs on the
border more efficient,'' he said.

Pol Gen Sant said drug traffickers had opened new drug routes on the border
in Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Kanchanaburi and Ranong.

The Third Army, meanwhile, has reorganised its forces along the border. It
has moved 70% of its regular forces from the so-called inner zone to a
deeper area 30-50 kilometres from the border.

Third Army commander Lt-Gen Udomchai Ongkhasingh said half of his forces,
around 14,000 troops, had been positioned along the border in the past year.

``We have to adapt our strategy by moving our forces deep inside to counter
the spread of drugs,'' said Lt-Gen Udomchai.

Border villages suspected of being drug storage points would be searched.
Troops would work closely with government agencies and community leaders.

Lt-Gen Udomchai said the Internal Security Operation Command planned to
reorganise border villages. Villagers would be trained to help the
government fight drugs.

His forces had been told to concentrate more on border villages whose
leaders had close ties with the ethnic minority United Wa State Army, which
sends hundreds of millions of methamphetamines across the border from Burma.

Lt-Gen Udomchai said 55 drug plants controlled by the UWSA were still
churning out drugs along the Thai-Burmese border.

``We have a report that the UWSA is also responsible for five new drug
factories along the Thai-Lao border opposite Chiang Rai's Chiang Saen,'' he
said.
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MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk