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. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D