Friendship Bridge Used By Traffickers

[george]

Friendship bridge used by traffickers

Migrants are duped into smuggling drugs

KHON KAEN: -- The Thai-Lao friendship bridge in Nong Khai has become a popular crossing point for drug traffickers. Adul Prayoonsitthi, a regional anti-drugs official, said large amounts of drugs have been confiscated at the bridge's permanent border checkpoint.

From January to August, authorities seized 821,547 methamphetamine pills, 11,138kg of dried marijuana, 174kg of heroin, and 148kg of `ice', a crystal form of amphetamine.

The confiscation of speed pills between January and June dropped sharply compared to the same period last year.

About 6.6 million methamphetamine pills were seized, against last year's 28 million. In 2003, 81 million methamphetamine pills were seized during the same period.

Mr Adul said drug traffickers used a number of tricks.

They would hide the drugs under piles of strong-smelling farm products such as onions and garlic or even pla-ra, fermented fish, he said.

``We have highly-trained sniffer dogs at the checkpoint. But they're completely drained when they have to sniff strong-smelling stuff.

``The traffickers take the chance when the dogs become weary,'' he said.

Drug traffickers hire unknowing migrant workers from Laos and Cambodia to deliver the goods, he said.

Between January and July, 944 migrants were arrested on drug charges, 200 of them Lao and 197 Cambodian. ``These people don't deal in drugs. They are duped into smuggling drugs across the border,'' he said.

About 74.2% of drugs smuggled into Thailand via the Northeast came in through border villages, he said.

About 24% went through permanent border checkpoints including the Thai-Lao friendship bridge and 1.9% through border passes.

He said that 70.6% of drug traffickers arrested in January to June were new players while 66.2% of drug users arrested were new users.

Mr Adul said the office was preparing a new round of anti-drug drives over four periods _ October to December this year, and January to March, April to June, and July to September next year.

The campaign will rely on integrated approaches to tackling drug problems.

--Bangkok Post 2005-09-16

[ilyushin]

Used to be by boats which was cool. Then Air America delivery. Now the Friendship bridge .

[sriracha john]

Mr Adul said the office was preparing a new round of anti-drug drives over four periods _ October to December this year, and January to March, April to June, and July to September next year.

uhmm... perhaps just a technicality, but isn't this actually just ONE period of a year-long crackdown?

[chownah]

It's so easy to just cross the Mekong in a small boat that they'll never be able to stop the flow...if the authorities were stopping an appreciable percentage of the drugs crossing the bridge then the smugglers would stop sending it that way and start using boats...obviously the losses are quite small compared to the successes...that's why it continues to go over the bridge.

[sriracha john]

It's so easy to just cross the Mekong in a small boat that they'll never be able to stop the flow...if the authorities were stopping an appreciable percentage of the drugs crossing the bridge then the smugglers would stop sending it that way and start using boats...obviously the losses are quite small compared to the successes...that's why it continues to go over the bridge.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Agreed...

btw, plus it's even easier to cross the Lao border over the Heuang River... where you don't even need a boat, simply wade 10 meters across, as it never got higher than my shins...

[taxexile]

uhmm... perhaps just a technicality, but isn't this actually just ONE period of a year-long crackdown?

this being thailand , this is in fact four separate and independantly run crackdowns , each one individually funded by a central government budgeting appropriations office and overseen by the crackdown control body , locally funded sub-committees will keep control at a local level. sniffer dog relief logistics however, are handled by jangwat army units specially brought in.

overall co-ordination is , as ever , in the capable hands of the som tam lady from outside the noodle shop by the railway station !

[ovenman]

KHON KAEN: -- The Thai-Lao friendship bridge in Nong Khai has become a popular crossing point for drug traffickers. Adul Prayoonsitthi, a regional anti-drugs official, said large amounts of drugs have been confiscated at the bridge's permanent border checkpoint.

If restricting the sale of pipe in Pattani/Yala/Narathiwat can stem the use of pipe bombs, by logical extension perhaps the powers-that-be should simply close the Friendship Bridge altogether so people can no longer smuggle drugs across it.

[sriracha john]

uhmm... perhaps just a technicality, but isn't this actually just ONE period of a year-long crackdown?

this being thailand , this is in fact four separate and independantly run crackdowns , each one individually funded by a central government budgeting appropriations office and overseen by the crackdown control body , locally funded sub-committees will keep control at a local level. sniffer dog relief logistics however, are handled by jangwat army units specially brought in.

overall co-ordination is , as ever , in the capable hands of the som tam lady from outside the noodle shop by the railway station !

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks for the clarification... makes perfect sense now.

[sua yai]

The sniffer dogs are "drained"?

They're probably having the time of their lives.

Don't blame our canine companions.