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Pubdate: Thu, 29 Mar 2001 Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation (Australia Web) Copyright: 2001 Australian Broadcasting Corporation Contact: http://www.abc.net.au/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/34 THAILAND TO EXECUTE DRUG CONVICTS IN NARCOTICS CRACKDOWN Thailand will next month execute a group of drug convicts and publicly destroy a haul of confiscated narcotics as a dramatic deterrent against trafficking, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said today. Death sentences handed down to traffickers are normally commuted to life sentences in Thailand, but after declaring a "war on drugs" earlier this year Mr Thaksin said the executions, by firing squad, would now be sped up. "In April there will be a destruction of confiscated drugs, as well as executions of some traffickers," he said. "The justice and public health ministries are coordinating efforts to speed up both the destruction and execution." Thamarak Issarangun Na Ayutthaya, the Minister attached to the premier's office, said the Government would go ahead with the executions to serve as a public warning of the heavy penalties associated with drug trafficking. "We are speeding up the Corrections Department process, there are some 10 drug convicts at the moment who we will execute one by one," he said. Execution must take place after royal clemency is rejected for convicts who have had their death sentence upheld by three courts, including the Supreme Court. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake