Drugs Have Become Scarcer In Bangkok, But Suppression Alone Won't Take Them Off The Streets Completely wiping out drugs, as the prime minister has pledged, will remain nearly impossible as long as the lucrative trade can make traffickers rich almost overnight. Supplying the demand for drugs is more difficult since the start of last year's drug wars, but it is still a big business in the Bangkok metropolitan area. A recent report on the status of drugs in Bangkok by the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) noted that, besides the massive population, a number of other factors complicate the problems of suppressing drugs in the capital. These include the vibrant entertainment industry, immigration pressures and the accumulated problems of crime, poverty and environmental stress. [continues 1183 words]
No Decision Yet On Laota Saenlee Appeal The public prosecution has done its best in the drug case against Laota Saenlee and his two sons, said Justice Minister Pongthep Thepkanchana and Attorney-General Rewat Chamchalerm yesterday. On Tuesday, Laota, 64, and his two sons Wicharn, 28, and Sukkasem, 24, were acquitted of drug charges by the Criminal Court. However, Laota and Sukkasem were found guilty of firearms possession and sentenced to 16 months in jail. Mr Pongthep said yesterday that all state officials concerned had already tried their best to bring the three drug suspects to justice. [continues 225 words]
Despite her struggle with cancer, social worker Suthasinee Noiin continues to devote herself to children and adults with HIV/Aids, as well as those suffering from drug addiction When Suthasinee Noiin hit rock bottom, she was saved by the selfless love received during her critical moments. That is why the social worker, despite cancer pains, is determined to make each of her remaining days ones of giving. ''This is my last home,'' said the frail 48-year-old social worker, sitting in the warm morning sun in front of Home Hug _ in the Isan dialect, the words ''home hug'' translate roughly into ''centre of love'' _ surrounded by small children who are considered social outcasts elsewhere because they have HIV and Aids. [continues 1861 words]
When the Thaksin-led government waged a war against drugs, 3,000 were reportedly killed, making headlines all over the world and prompting the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to send a high-ranking official to probe into human rights issues in the country. This is definitely not something to boast about. When the violence in the three Southern provinces began to escalate this year, a military post was robbed on Jan 4, several hundreds of guns were stolen and four soldiers were killed. Since then, various cases of harassment, assassinations and abductions have been reported, allegedly at the hands of the authorities. The most sensational case was the disappearance of Somchai Neelapaichitr, a Muslim lawyer dedicated to defending Muslims arrested on charges of terrorism or being members of the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group. [continues 521 words]
The government's successes in clamping down on drug trafficking have been considerable, but the pressure has to be kept up before a real victory can be declared Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra launched the War on Drugs on January 3, 2003 in response to His Majesty the King's comments on December 4, 2002 about the dangers to the nation's youth presented by drug use. It was estimated that over three million people in the country were addicted to drugs, mostly ya ba (amphetamines). A large number of those were said to be school-age children in cities and small villages across the nation. [continues 1002 words]
Court Rejects Drug Case Against Them Suspected drug baron Laota Saenlee and his two sons have been acquitted of drug charges, but he and one of his sons have been sentenced to one year and four months jail for illegal possession of firearms. Laota, 64, and his sons Wicharn, 28, and Sukkasem, 24, had been charged with drug trafficking, illegal possession of firearms and radio transmitters. They were arrested on June 12 last year at their house in Chiang Mai. The three defendants were implicated by Somsak, alias Dam Pimpimai, another drug suspect, who had alleged that Mr Laota and his sons were involved in the heroin trade. He had accused the three of selling 336 grammes of heroin to a police undercover agent on May 16 last year. He claimed that Mr Laota had sold the drug for 200,000 baht. [continues 199 words]
Laos Wants Thai Help Along Border Thailand, Burma, China, India and Laos have agreed on the need for tax exemptions for goods and agricultural products made under development projects in Burma and Laos, launched to substitute narcotic drug production. The decision was made at an international meeting on cooperation against drugs, with China and India considered the most likely potential markets for those products. Rassamee Wisthawes, deputy secretary-general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, who led the Thai delegation, said the tax exemptions would help those goods and products compete with locally-made ones. [continues 191 words]
Crop substitution schemes get push Trade in precursor chemicals top worry Controls on chemicals used to produce illicit drugs and the promotion of crop substitution schemes will top the agenda of a three-day regional meeting on drug suppression this week in Pattaya. Senior drug officials from Burma, China, India, Laos and Thailand will attend the meeting that begins on Wednesday. The talks are a follow-up to the first meeting held in Chiang Rai last July. Rassamee Wisthawes, deputy secretary-general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, said she will propose discussions on how best to control the smuggling of precursor chemicals from one country to another. [continues 164 words]
The Party Patrol, led by frontman Pracha Maleenon on lead morals, kicked off its new crackdown tour last week, party-busting like there was no tomorrow, with one-night stands at Concept CM2 on March 17 before going on a full tour of Sukhumvit clubs the following Friday. At some venues, those lucky enough to catch their latest act had to spend hours queuing up for the chance to donate their urine. While at Q Bar only random people were selected, Mystique was honoured with a full-scale lock-down that lasted from half-past midnight until 3am. Apparently the Party Patrol knew that their dress code could get them in the door at Mystique, and with an allegedly handsome back-up stinger taking the mic, they extended the night well past normal last-call hours. So much for early closings... [continues 271 words]
The United States has expressed its regret to the government for portraying Thailand in a negative light in its latest human rights report, government spokesman Jakrapob Penkair said yesterday. But a US embassy spokesman said he could not confirm this. Mr Jakrapob said Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai yesterday told cabinet a message from US President George W Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell expressed regret for the US report, which had riled Thai authorities particularly with its criticism of extra-judicial killings during the government's three-month war on drugs. [continues 88 words]
Claim About UN Cut, No Apology Offered The United States stands by its assessment of Thailand's human rights problems but concedes it made an error in a report, since removed after Bangkok objected, US embassy spokesman Mark Larsen said. The spokesman made it clear President George W Bush or Secretary of State Colin Powell had not apologised to the government for the error in the 2003 human rights report, launched last month. Thailand objected to the report, which said its human rights record had worsened with extra-judicial killings and arbitrary arrests common during the government's three-month war on drugs. [continues 115 words]
Princess Ubolratana gives further boost to campaign which encourages youngsters to steer clear of drugs Starting in April, television viewers will see the latest advertising spot for the "To Be Number One" drug-prevention campaign, presented by none other than Princess Ubolratana. The campaign was launched two years ago under the auspices of the Mental Health Department at the Ministry of Public Health and it is true to say that the Princess's glamorous profile has made the campaign the talk of the town, not only with the youth of the country but also among their parents and grandparents. [continues 107 words]
As to the United States' recent statement on human rights and Thailand's drug war, it is well-documented that about three years ago the US military shot down a plane over Colombia they thought was carrying drug runners, only to discover they were missionaries. Even if they were drug runners, who made that military commander judge, jury and executioner? It gets worse. A Chicago Tribune article about two years quoted an ex US military man as stating that a few years back he blew up a cocaine facility in Colombia even though he knew there were women and children inside. He was "following orders". So I guess the Geneva Convention only applies to "traditional war". Keep in mind this was under President Clinton. [continues 203 words]
'Rehabilitation of Addicts More Urgent' The UNAids organisation has expressed concern over the second phase of the government's war on drugs, saying more attention should be paid to the rehabilitation of addicts, many of whom carry the deadly disease. UNAids deputy executive director Kathleen Cravero raised the issue during a meeting on Tuesday with Justice Minister Pongthep Thepkanjana. She also called for authorities to make a clear distinction between traffickers and users. "With the launch of the crackdown on drug traffickers, the outreach programmes to the drug users should also be made clear and intensified, so that they're not targeted," she said. [continues 220 words]
US Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge has agreed to pass on the government's concerns about a damning human rights report released recently by Washington. Speaking after a meeting yesterday between Mr Ridge and Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said the United States would consider fresh information that had been submitted by the government and revise the report accordingly. Mr Thaksin voiced his disappointment at the report, prepared by the US State Department, which described the human rights climate in Thailand as "worsening" following extra-judicial killings and arbitrary arrests during last year's drugs crackdown. [continues 94 words]
Only one-fourth of drug users were sent for rehabilitation under the government's war on drugs, a study by Thanyarak Hospital has found. Before the launch of the campaign last year the country had an estimated 2.4 million users but only 600,000 had taken part in the rehabilitation programme, according to the study. About half went back to drug dependence. Most of his patients surveyed said they felt that drug use would return to normal a few months after the government announced its success in the war on drugs, while only 6% felt that drug use would permanently decline afterwards. Suchada Thim-udom, the head nurse of the hospital who has been working on rehabilitating drug addicts since 1971, said the most effective form of rehabilitation of drug addicts was to take care of their feelings and emotions. New activities that encourage them to change their behaviour should be introduced so they can resist drug use and go back into society. [end]
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has ordered another round of drug suppression despite a row with the United States, following the US State Department's criticism of human rights abuse in the government's anti-drug campaign. ''I've ordered authorities to devise an anti-drug plan for the upcoming school holidays in Bangkok and neighbouring provinces. We'll step up the social order campaign along with the drug crackdown. We won't let our children fall victim to drugs again,'' he said during his weekly radio programme. [continues 392 words]
I had read articles about the continuing raids on gay venues in Bangkok and other cities, and was in one on Jan 16 when a "police action" occurred which brought the evening to an early end. If drugs are the issue, isn't there some better and more efficient way to handle the problem than ruin the evening for everyone? If underage drinking and/or having underage people in the nightclubs is the issue, why not simply "card" people to prevent this. If there is an issue with regard to fake ID cards, then the holder of one should be dealt with instead of ruining the evening for everyone. [continues 167 words]
Despite prohibitive measures laid down by the Constitution, violation of human rights was rampant last year, thanks to the government's war on drugs. This observation was made by Mr Wasant Panich, a member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), during a lecture he gave to university students in my hometown of Maha Sarakham last Sunday. As a human rights lawyer myself, I was greatly concerned by Mr Wasant's revelations, as they reflect the entrenched culture of impunity among our law enforcement officers. [continues 584 words]
"The Shan State with not just the crop-substitution programmes, but also with industrial and other projects that will give the farmers a new opportunity to stop the opium growing and have enough money to live," commented a Thai officer assigned to this task. But a change to other crops is not so simple. A Wa dissident warned: "Many farmers have problems finding a market for other crops, and the price may not be enough to survive on. So they return to growing the opium poppies as they have been doing for decades." [continues 835 words]
The drug money is still flowing into the Wa capital, but pressure from China to curtail the illicit trade may be making the kingpins a little nervous "If we have any more opium here after 2005, you can come and chop my head off." This is the most famous statement of Pau Yu Chang, chairman of the United Wa State Army (UWSA), and the richest and most powerful Wa leader. A former member of the Communist Party of Burma (CPB), he reigns the Wa region with an iron fist, or more like a communist dictator. [continues 1331 words]
Capacity-Building, Small Firms Backed East Asian and Latin American countries have agreed to fight against terrorism, drugs and human trafficking at a meeting in Manila. Ministers of 32 countries from the Forum for East Asia-Latin America (Fealac) also agreed during the two-day conference to tackle trans-border threats including drugs, trafficking in women and children, small arms, and communicable diseases, said Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai. The meeting also recognised that North Korea's development of nuclear weapons posed a threat to regional peace and stability, and supported the six-party dialogue on the issue. [continues 104 words]
Last week's report on drug abuse by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific states that Asian youths outside Thailand refer to methamphetamines as ``fun drugs''. It highlights that Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has claimed victory in the war on what Thais call ya ba, the crazy medicine. Nothing has curbed the voracious appetite for this cheap and dangerous drug. Speed pills are the fastest growing illegal drug in the world, with Asia the epicentre of the explosion of abuse. [continues 577 words]
Relatives of about 2,500 drug suspects killed during the government's war on drugs last year can claim compensation under the Compensation Payment for Crime Victims and Suspects of Wrongful Conviction Act, a senior Justice Ministry official said. Charnchao Chaiyanukij, the director-general of the Rights and Liberties Protection Department, said they would get compensation if they could prove in court that their relatives were innocent victims of the campaign to clean up drugs. It was in line with the Constitution, which guarantees the rights and liberties of suspects or defendants in criminal cases. [continues 76 words]
CHIANG MAI -- A former border patrol policeman was arrested yesterday on drug charges. His assets worth more than two million baht were also seized. Pol Sgt-Maj Boonyarit Sriboonruang, 42, formerly of BPP Unit 327 in Mae Chan district, was charged with stealing 30,000 of confiscated methamphetamine pills from Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district early last year, involvement in the drug trade and money laundering. He was arrested yesterday morning in a raid on his wife's home in San Sai district. Police seized his land and house, a pick-up truck and a car -- assets believed to have been acquired with drug money. Pol Maj-Gen Wut Withitanont, assistant chief of Police Region 5, said Somyos Hirantraporn, who was arrested in Saraburi province on March 14 for possessing speed pills, said he bought the drugs from Pol Sgt-Maj Boonyarit. [end]
Thai drug traffickers, with the help of a Burmese ethnic group, would have attacked the Thai and Burmese prime ministers with surface-to-air missiles had they boarded a helicopter to visit a Burmese village under Wa control, according to senior Thai sources. M.R. Disnadda Diskul, chief executive of the Doi Tung Development Project, confirmed the report saying the attack had been planned by drug traffickers who did not want the countries to enjoy good ties and the crop-substitution project to succeed. [continues 311 words]
Police Chief Gen Sant Sarutanont says 1,320 people were killed in the government's drug crackdown, in what he said were final figures. Of these, 57 were killed by police. Another 887 people killed belonged to drug networks. They were murdered after refusing to hand over money to ring leaders or failing to honour a drug deal. The rest had other forms of drug connection. Pol Gen Sant said 23 drug suspects in custody had confessed to having been hunted down by gangs. They said gangs were after them because they pocketed drug money. [continues 237 words]
Fears Drug Traders Plan Revenge Attack Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was having second thoughts yesterday about visiting the Red Wa-controlled Yong Kha township, in Burma. Mr Thaksin was due to open a field hospital on Dec 26 and see progress in a crop substitution anti-drug project run by Thailand. Mr Thaksin said he held no fears about the trip but as a prime minister he had to listen to words of caution from people around him. A public figure should not act at whim. [continues 313 words]
Despite opium poppy eradication programmes and tougher drug suppression methods in Thailand and China, heroin and methamphetamines continue to pour out of the Wa-controlled high country of northern Burma After a six-hour-long journey by taxi from Jinghong, the principal city of China's southern Yunnan province, we reached the border town of Mong Ah, where a bridge over the Namkam River separates it from Pangsang, the capital city of the Wa region in northern Burma. Along the road that cuts through mist-shrouded mountains dotted with hilltribe villages, we came across some luxury right-hand drive cars, including the expensive Mitsubishi Pajero and Honda SUV models, with number plates bearing the initials "NW", for North Wa. This is in sharp contrast to a small army of motorcycles, motorised rickshaws, and noisy tractors and trucks that were conspicuous in all the towns we passed through. Local villagers must be wondering what kind of business the Pajero drivers do to possess such expensive vehicles. [continues 1606 words]
PM Cancels Burma Trip, Security Fears Third Army commander Lt-Gen Picharnmeth Muangmanee will visit the Wa-controlled township of Yong Kha, in Burma, replacing Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who cancelled the trip for security reasons. Mr Thaksin had planned to visit Yong Kha to jointly preside over the opening of a hospital there with Gen Khin Nyunt, his Burmese counterpart. However, he cancelled the trip after his advance security team said it would be too risky, a security officer said. [continues 345 words]
Thailand will host the 4th Asean ministerial meeting on transnational crime on Jan 7-10 to seek cooperation in the fight against increasing transnational crimes across the region. ''Shared Responsibility towards Common Security'' is the theme of the meeting set by Thailand. China, Japan and South Korea have been invited to attend for the first time. Thailand will present proposals on cooperation in law enforcement, intelligence sharing, immigration control, and drugs suppression. Thailand said closer ties could lead to a working group being set up to harmonise the laws of each Asean country. [continues 173 words]
Arrest Warrants Out for 900-Plus Suspects Electronic sensors are now helping the army combat drug smuggling across the border from Burma in Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces. Fresh troops have also been sent to the area and patrols are being increased. With the government's intensive drug suppression campaign due to culminate in time for the King's birthday on Dec 5, sources said drug traffickers are stepping up their efforts. Drug seizures had increased in Burma, especially in northern areas close to China, and this was a dangerous sign that more drugs would be diverted towards Thailand, said Manas Paorik, commander of the Pha Muang Task Force. [continues 153 words]
People Have Their Sons, Daughters Back Illegal drugs have been eradicated to the point they longer have any great influence on people's lives, but the fight will continue until Thailand is completely drug free, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said yesterday. The government would declare its victory over drugs tomorrow, he said. It was made possible by the people's contribution of physical and spiritual forces, and even their lives, to protect their society. [continues 455 words]
Burma's State Peace and Development Council chairman Than Shwe says he backs Thailand's fight against drugs along the border, Defence Minister Thammarak Isarangkura na Ayudhya said. ``We have reached an understanding on security issues, and Burma agreed that both sides had to strengthen their cooperation to snuff out the problem which also posed security threats to Burma,'' the minister said after his return from a three-day visit to Burma. Gen Thammarak said the common threat could not be resolved without full cooperation from Burma. [continues 217 words]
A senior US drug official yesterday hailed Thailand's war against drugs as a success. William J. Snipes, the regional director of the US Drug Enforcement Administration, said the war on drugs has been effective. ``Whether that's a lasting effect, we'll have to wait and see. Temporarily, we look at it as successful,'' he said. Thailand had the will to eradicate drugs, but as evidenced in the United States it was a problem that might never disappear altogether. He was speaking at the Bang Pa-In industrial estate where seized drugs worth about 2.9 billion baht were incinerated, including 19 million methamphetamine pills, marijuana, heroin, ketamine liquid and ecstasy pills. The government began a violent crackdown on drugs in February and plans to announce the country drug free ahead of the King's birthday on Dec 5. [end]
Amnesty International has called for the government to reveal the identities of 2,245 people it claims were killed in a bloody crackdown on drugs earlier this year. The human rights watchdog said in a report released yesterday a list of victims would allow relatives and activists to monitor the progress of investigations into the killings, information on which was currently very scarce. Somsri Hananuntasuk, a board member of Amnesty's local branch, questioned the integrity of two committees that had been set up to investigate the killings. [continues 236 words]
The UN secretary-general's special envoy on HIV/Aids in the Asia-Pacific region has raised concern over the rise in infection rates among gay men and addicts who inject drugs. Nafis Sadik said the infection rate among injecting drug users had risen 25%, from 40% to 50%, since the disease was discovered in 1984. Research in Bangkok also showed the infection rate among gay men had reached 17%. Dr Sadik said she did not completely understand the government's war on drugs, but other countries' experiences indicated drug suppression only increased the price and pushed drug use further underground. [continues 307 words]
The Thailand Research Fund (TRF) and the Defence Ministry will jointly develop unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for use in operations against drugs and illegal aliens. Sutheera Prasertsan, of the TRF, said the UAV research and development programme, to be implemented between 2004-2007, will cost around 84 million baht. Of the total, 63 million baht will come from the TRF and the rest from the Defence Ministry. The planned UAVs will have an operation range of 200km. They will be operated by a control unit which is very much like a flight simulator. [continues 94 words]
Images From Satellites Show Routes, Networks The Nakhon Ratchasima-based Suranaree task force is now using a computer-based mapping program to help in drug suppression operations. The Geographical Information System (GIS) helps in assessing the extent of the drug networks and locating drug routes. GIS is mapping software that links information about where things are with information about what things are like. Unlike a one-dimensional paper map, a GIS map can combine many layers of information. Col Voranant Namwang, task force chief-of-staff, said it would be a tremendous help in the war on drugs, as the information could be consolidated for optimum drug-busting efficiency. [continues 60 words]
Checks To Intensify In All Communities The war on drugs will be intensified in all communities to ensure Thailand is free of the scourge by Dec 2, ahead of His Majesty the King's birthday on Dec 5, Interior Minister Wan Muhamad Nor Matha said. A meeting of intelligence agencies and the national centre to defeat drugs agreed yesterday that efforts would be redoubled during the two months from Oct 2, he said. A long-term plan for combating drug trafficking and for treatment of addicts was also presented at the meeting. [continues 126 words]
Some Suspects Just Hooked On Alcohol The government's war on drugs is hampering rehabilitation efforts with health officials burdened by too many patients, a study says. Presented at an international conference on mental health and substance dependence yesterday, the study said rehabilitation centres, particularly in the provinces, could not cope with so many patients. Some were sent there only because their names appeared on suspect lists. Often they turned out to be alcoholics. [continues 205 words]
Forging unity aim of rehabilitation plan Kanchanaburi The government has launched the Wiwat Phonlamuang school programme to limit the spread of drugs and ease prison overcrowding. The prisoner reform programme is being carried out at military areas in Kanchanburi, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Ubon Ratchathani and Chiang Rai provinces. Under the programme, drug inmates sent to undertake rehabilitation and vocational training build their own camps _ wooden houses, command headquarters, canteen, library, schools, vocational training hall and farming areas. Col Ongart Pongsak, of Surasee military camp in Kanchanaburi, said the government thought inmates would benefit from building the camps. The task would forge a sense of unity. [continues 363 words]
Thailand welcomed a high-level team of officials from Afghanistan this week. They want to see the successful crop substitution programme in Chiang Rai, and learn two things - how it works, and how it can be applied in their country. It is the second major involvement in the post-Taliban Afghanistan by Thailand, after a six-month construction project by the army in Bagram. It builds on a sometimes hesitant but positive policy which started in earnest with the peacekeeping commitment in East Timor, and which should continue. [continues 521 words]
Senate Panel Wants Govt Accountability The United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime expressed concern yesterday over the high number of deaths as a result of the three-month policy on drug suppression in Thailand. Although showing satisfaction about the Thai efforts in tackling drug problems, Antonio Maria Costa, executive director of the UN agency, was worried about the high number of victims. He raised his concerns in talks with Sorajak Kasemsuwan, assistant to the foreign minister. About 2,300 people were victims of drug-related killings during the three-month drug suppression campaign. Only half of them have obvious involvement in the drug business. Police admitted to only 51 extra-judicial killings blaming the rest on drug traffickers killing off each other to prevent police getting to the top bosses. [continues 295 words]
First the good news. With eight days to go, the three-month government campaign against illicit and dangerous drugs has accomplished a lot. It is clear from numerous reports from experienced observers that illegal drugs are no longer freely available on the nation's streets and in factories and housing estates. Massive police attention has shut down many neighbourhood drug rings. The rise in the price of drugs, particularly methamphetamines, shows that the campaign has hit peddlers hard. There is not much more good news. Police credibly believe they have shut down one big ya ba trafficker in Bangkok, but have reneged on their promises to track and arrest his suspected confederates high up in the police force. An expose{AAC} in this newspaper's Perspective section on Sunday showed that a variety of so-called recreational drugs are available in the capital's nightclubs. Despite hundreds of murders and thousands of arrests, the "drug culture" appears to have survived. [continues 469 words]
The minister in charge of the war on drugs has already set the victory date. Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, deputy prime minister in charge of security matters, said V-day will be Dec 2. That will meet the target of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra for 76 drug-free provinces by the end of the year. It will also mark the Dec 5 birthday of His Majesty the King. The double symbolism of the date is clear, but seems to beg the question of how authorities can be certain they can meet the target so exactly. [continues 543 words]
The Pha Muang task force chief-of-staff says 500 Red Wa soldiers are being trained to provide security for drug caravans expected to head for Thailand next month. Col Somsak Nilbanjerdkul said a big push was expected by Red Wa drug producers to smuggle millions of speed pills into Thailand next month, especially during Songkran festival. Up to 500 Red Wa soldiers had been sent for training at a military school in New Yawn town, opposite Chiang Rai's Mae Fa Luang district. [continues 173 words]
A ceremony to show unity against drugs among people of different religions will be held in Ayutthaya province tomorrow. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will preside over the event, which is expected to attract between 50,000-100,000 people including foreign diplomats, religious leaders and representatives from foreign anti-drug agencies. Religious leaders are expected to return to their localities and run rehabilitation projects for addicts. Coordination centres will be set up throughout the country. Mr Thaksin on Tuesday said he was confident the three-month campaign against drugs would provide his government with "more than enough" information to pass on at a five-nation drugs meeting to be attended by delegates from Burma, China, India, Laos and Thailand. The meeting has yet to be scheduled. India would be invited to attend because it was a transit country for drug precursors. [continues 56 words]
Anti-drug authorities must work harder to seize more assets belonging to traders, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said yesterday. Since the beginning of the war on drugs on Feb 1, authorities had arrested about 26,000 drug traders and producers and seized assets worth about 400 million baht. Also, 373 government officials with drug-trade links had been punished and action was being taken against another 390. "The total value of seized assets is still very small. We must do everything to find out where they have hidden their assets. Some of them have many wives, we have to check all of them. "We must go after all traders and producers. They are not suitable to be part of our society. They deserve to be put in jail. Drug traders who fight back must be dealt with decisively," he said. [end]
Chaining drug addicts is an effective way to have them quit drugs, says a monk who runs a drug rehabilitation centre in Ayutthaya. Phra Thawee Ayuwatthago said at his Temjai drug rehabilitation centre in Wat Worachet temple yesterday that drug addicts were chained around the clock for 10-30 days to prevent them from going berserk or damaging things while suffering withdrawal symptoms. However, staff always sought consent from addicts' parents or guardians before chaining them, said the 65-year-old monk. He said the measure was effective because addicts would eventually stop being violent. [continues 255 words]
