Pubdate: Thu, 27 Mar 2003 Source: Bangkok Post (Thailand) Copyright: The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. 2003 Contact: http://www.bangkokpost.co.th/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/39 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/areas/Thailand (Thailand) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Thaksin+Shinawatra (Shinawatra, Thaksin) CEREMONY TO SHOW UNITY IN CAMPAIGN 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. Mr Thaksin also claimed the United Nations Human Rights Commission was impressed with Thailand's efforts to suppress illicit drugs "because we provide the innocent with human rights protection". The creation of two monitoring committees had made officials involved more careful not to act beyond the scope of the law, he said. - --- MAP posted-by: Jackl