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The Nation - Drug traffickers chang

Subject: The Nation - Drug traffickers change route

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The Nation - Jan 07, 2000
Politics=20

Drug traffickers change route

ANTI-narcotics authorities yesterday warned that amphetamine-trafficking =
ethnic Wa and ethnic Hor Chinese insurgents from eastern Burma have =
changed their trafficking route, relying instead on flights coming in =
from the Northeast.=20

Narcotics Control Board secretary general Sorasit Saengprasert said =
yesterday that the amphetamine traffickers had stopped using their =
normal route through northern Thailand to get to Bangkok. They have =
instead been ferrying their drugs to Bangkok on domestic flights from =
Nong Khai, Nakhon Phanom and Ubon Ratchathani in the Northeast..=20


Sorasit said the domestic airports being used were too small to be =
equipped with narcotics detectors. He said even Bangkok International =
Airport failed to check for drugs at its facility for these domestic =
flights.=20

PM's Office Minister Jurin Laksanavisit would today discuss installing =
narcotics detectors with Thai Airways Co and would hold similar talks =
with police with the aim of setting up an anti-drug squad equipped with =
sniffer dogs at domestic airports, he said.=20


At a news conference yesterday, Mae Hong Son airport director Somnuek =
Senabin dismissed Sorasit's claim that the airport had no =
narcotics-detecting equipment. ''Mae Hong Son airport has for long had =
metal and narcotics-detection equipment installed,'' he asserted. =
However, he did add that the airport authority had no duty to check =
hand-held luggage carried by passengers.=20

The anti-narcotics intelligence authorities, who have taken a pounding =
for being ineffectual after the recent chance uncovering of 2.6 million =
amphetamine tablets on a housing estate in northern Bangkok, said =
yesterday the drugs belonged to a trafficking group known as Maha Ja, =
active in the Muang Mae Hong Son district.=20


The intelligence authorities added that airline officials might have =
turned a blind eye to couriers carrying luggage containing drugs.=20


The Nation


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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT face=3Darial,Times><FONT =
size=3D4><FONT=20
color=3D#800000><B>The Nation - Jan 07, =
2000</B></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT face=3Darial,Times><FONT =
size=3D4><FONT=20
color=3D#800000><B>Politics</B> </FONT></FONT><FONT =
face=3Darial,Times></DIV>
<P>
<H2><FONT color=3D#800000 size=3D4>Drug traffickers change =
route</FONT></H2><FONT=20
face=3Darial,Times><FONT size=3D+.5>
<P>
<P>ANTI-narcotics authorities yesterday warned that =
amphetamine-trafficking=20
ethnic Wa and ethnic Hor Chinese insurgents from eastern Burma have =
changed=20
their trafficking route, relying instead on flights coming in from the=20
Northeast.=20
<P>Narcotics Control Board secretary general Sorasit Saengprasert said =
yesterday=20
that the amphetamine traffickers had stopped using their normal route =
through=20
northern Thailand to get to Bangkok. They have instead been ferrying =
their drugs=20
to Bangkok on domestic flights from Nong Khai, Nakhon Phanom and Ubon=20
Ratchathani in the Northeast..=20
<P>
<P>Sorasit said the domestic airports being used were too small to be =
equipped=20
with narcotics detectors. He said even Bangkok International Airport =
failed to=20
check for drugs at its facility for these domestic flights.=20
<P>PM's Office Minister Jurin Laksanavisit would today discuss =
installing=20
narcotics detectors with Thai Airways Co and would hold similar talks =
with=20
police with the aim of setting up an anti-drug squad equipped with =
sniffer dogs=20
at domestic airports, he said.=20
<P>
<P>At a news conference yesterday, Mae Hong Son airport director Somnuek =
Senabin=20
dismissed Sorasit's claim that the airport had no narcotics-detecting =
equipment.=20
''Mae Hong Son airport has for long had metal and narcotics-detection =
equipment=20
installed,'' he asserted. However, he did add that the airport authority =
had no=20
duty to check hand-held luggage carried by passengers.=20
<P>The anti-narcotics intelligence authorities, who have taken a =
pounding for=20
being ineffectual after the recent chance uncovering of 2.6 million =
amphetamine=20
tablets on a housing estate in northern Bangkok, said yesterday the =
drugs=20
belonged to a trafficking group known as Maha Ja, active in the Muang =
Mae Hong=20
Son district.=20
<P>
<P>The intelligence authorities added that airline officials might have =
turned a=20
blind eye to couriers carrying luggage containing drugs.=20
<P>
<P>The Nation</P></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></FONT></BODY></HTML>

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