Pubdate: Mon, 05 Jul 2004
Source: Nation, The (Thailand)
Copyright: 2004 Nation Multimedia Group
Contact:  http://www.nationmultimedia.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1963

CRACK DOWN ON CRIME BOSSES - ONCB

The government should step up its crackdown on "influential people" in 
seven western and central provinces, plus some southern provinces where 
drug trafficking is still going on, the Office of the Narcotics Control 
Board has recommended.

A Government House source said the proposal was made by ONCB 
secretary-general Chidchai Wannasathit, during the mobile Cabinet meeting 
in Lamphun last week.

Chidchai told the Cabinet the government should crack down on influential 
people in Tak, Uthai Thani, Kamphaeng Phet, Nakhon Sawan, Kanchanaburi, 
Suphan Buri and Nakhon Pathom, the source said.

He also asked the government to target influential people in several 
southern provinces including Satun, Trang and Songkhla, explaining that the 
trading and smuggling of drugs, arms and contraband was still going on in 
these areas.

Chidchai, who heads the board's anti-drug operations centre, reported to 
the Cabinet that 313 suspected mafia bosses and 2,525 "general influential 
people" had been blacklisted in line with the government's policy to fight 
dark influences.

Another 1,793 suspected influential people had been kept under close watch, 
he told the Cabinet.
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