Reuters-Thai army says seizes drugs

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Subject: Reuters-Thai army says seizes drugs in border firefight 

Thai army says seizes drugs in border firefight
07:19 a.m. Jul 29, 1999 Eastern
BANGKOK, July 29 (Reuters) - A Thai task force said it seized more than four
million amphetamine tablets and 16 kg (33.6 pounds) of heroin in a border
clash early on Thursday with suspected guerrillas from Myanmar.

Officials put the Thai street value of the drugs at nearly $9 million and
called it the biggest single haul of amphetamines ever made in Thailand.

An army officer said the soldiers seized the drugs after a gun fight with
about 15 armed men thought to be from the United Wa State Army, an ethnic
guerrilla army considered by most independent analysts as Myanmar's main
drug-trafficking force.

No casualties were reported. The clash took place at the northern town of
Baanpaji, about 3 km (two miles) from the Myanmar border, the officer said.

The seizure came amid a concerted army crackdown into trade in amphetamines,
a growing menace in Thailand.

Thailand's Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) said that on Tuesday it
seized eight tonnes of caffeine base, the main ingredient of amphetamines,
as it was about to be sent from Thailand to the Myanmar town of Tachilek.

The ONCB estimates the UWSA produces more than 300 million amphetamine
tablets a year for the Thai market. It said the caffeine was enough to
produce 160 million tablets.

The Thai army says the UWSA, which signed a ceasefire with Yangon's military
government 10 years ago, has mobilised more than 5,000 guerrillas to protect
its border trade.

An army spokesman said the task force arrested several men thought to be
close to UWSA leader Wei Hsue Kang in a pre-dawn raid on a nearby village.
The United States has offered a reward of $2 million for Wei, the leader of
the Wa's southern faction.

They included former village headman, Laota Saenli and his son, who were
detained on charges of possessing war weapons.

``Further investigations could lead to their being accused of involvement in
narcotics trafficking,'' he said.

Laota told Reuters last week traffickers had used his village as a route for
drugs but denied involvement in the trade.

An army source said last week security forces had killed at least 29 UWSA
drug gang suspects in the past two months.


The army crackdown has involved missions against suspected trafficking bases
and raids on Thai border villages.

Growing amphetamine abuse in Thailand has strained ties with Myanmar which
this week rejected charges by Thai narcotics officials that its soldiers
were involved in the drugs trade.