Pubdate: Thu, 06 Mar 2003
Source: Phuket Gazette (Thailand)
Copyright: 2003 Phuket Gazette Co. Ltd
Contact: http://phuketgazette.net/contactus/index.asp
Website: http://phuketgazette.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2769
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/area/Thailand

ARREST YOUR FRIENDS, MINISTER TELLS GOVERNORS

BANGKOK: Interior Minister Wan Muhamad Nor Matha wants provincial
governors to arrest any of their friends or relatives believed to be
involved in the illicit drugs trade, the Bangkok Post reported today.

Meeting governors yesterday, he said Bangkok wants them to focus on
large-scale dealers rather than small ones. He also told them to seize
all drug dealers' assets, the newspaper reported.

"To prove the government is serious and spares no one, in March and
April you will arrest big dealers -- suspects such as provincial
councilors and local politicians -- four to five in each province," K.
Wan Nor was quoted as telling the meeting.

He was reported as ordering the Governor of Yala to arrest two
relatives alleged to be involved in drugs, adding, "Friends who sell
drugs are your enemies in this war."

Governors who perform well will be promoted while those who do poorly
will be "punished".

To encourage governors to perform these duties zealously, the minister
said they would be rewarded with 30% of the value of drug-related
assets seized. A further 15% would be set aside for police detectives.

In addition, the family of any governor killed fighting the war on
drugs will get 500,000 baht in compensation. "Governors should be
happy that they will not die for free," the Post quoted K. Wan Nor as
saying.

Governors were also ordered to set up special offices to gather
information on drug dealers and addicts who had surrendered, such as
details of their ID cards, vehicles, bank passbook numbers and phone
numbers.

The Anti-Money-Laundering Office will tap their phone lines if they
are suspected of getting back into drugs. To stop them returning to
the drug trade, suspects may also lose their gun licenses, and be
banned from crossing the border to neighboring countries and from
running entertainment venues, the Post reported.

More than 20,000 drug producers and traffickers have been arrested,
and 40,000 people have surrendered on drug-related matters since the
war on drugs began five weeks ago. More than 1,000 people have been
killed.

K. Wan Nor claimed the war on drugs had led to a 10% cut in non-drug
crimes, especially physical assault cases.

In Phuket, Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi today revealed that assets
worth some 35 million baht were seized by the authorities in the five
years up to February 1 -- before the war on drugs began.

"Most of the seizures were of cash or vehicles. We have never
publicized the seizures -- I myself learned about them only recently,
and I don't know any details," he said. "But I believe that most of
the assets were seized from Thais." 
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