Pubdate: Sat, 02 Apr 2005
Source: Chiangmai Mail (Thailand)
Copyright: 2005 Chiangmai Mail
Contact:  http://www.chiangmai-mail.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3105

TWO MORE LISU DRUG TRAFFICKERS SLAIN IN STING OPERATION

Disguised as regular ya ba buying customers at the irrigation canal
near Huay Tung Thao reservoir in Mae Rim, Chiang Mai, police ended up
gunning down Santipap or "Luang" Thairomyen, 31, and Worapoj Laosorn,
28, two Lisu hill tribesmen drug dealers, on the morning of March 22.

While they were in process of trading, the two men detected the sting
and started shooting. Police returned fire and the two fell, riddled
with bullets. They found 30,000 ya ba pills, an AK-47 assault weapon
and a .22 mm pistol.

Pol. Lt. Gen. Panupong Singhara Na Ayuthaya, commissioner of the
Provincial Police Bureau, revealed that he had three warrants of
arrest for Santipap aka Jakrapat Tritrakulsab, arrested before in
Lampang, where 12 kg heroin had been recovered, on June 7, 2004.

The two men had been pursued by warrant-possessing police for a long
time, but invariably escaped. This time, the police spent 700,000 baht
to buy 30,000 ya ba pills, and the operation, as it resulted in their
extra-judicial killing, was regarded as successful.

The two men transferred ya ba from Mae Hong Son border, and kept it in
Mae Taeng district, Chiang Mai. They later transferred the ya ba on a
route beside the irrigation canal. This route is now used more often
to transfer drugs as it links with other districts in Chiang Mai. It
is predicted that there are 12 more persons concerned, and the police
say they will arrest or posthumously apprehend them soon.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin