BKK Post, March 9, 1998. NARCOTIC

[suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

March 9, 1998.   NARCOTICS

              Neighbours asked
              for help

              The government will ask neighbouring and Western countries to
              help suppress the widespread availability of narcotics which are
              mostly smuggled into Thailand through the northern borders, said
              Deputy Prime Minister Bhichai Rattakul yesterday.

              World leaders such as the United States should play a greater
              role in fighting the international drug racket and not let the matter
              be only of regional concern, Mr Bhichai said.

              He said drug smuggling was difficult to control as it was carried
              out by local influential figures with political backing. Some
              officials have also colluded with drug dealers, making the
              narcotics suppression task even harder. 

              The Foreign Ministry would contact Laos and Burma, where
              many drugs production bases are believed to be sited, to work
              out the suppression move. The US would also be asked to
              assist.

              Over 15 million amphetamine tablets were seized last year and
              there is a tendency for the number to rise this year, according to
              official estimates.

              The drugs reportedly originated in areas dominated by Burma's
              ethnic minorities and pass through 12 border points in Chiang
              Rai alone.