Yingluck Pledges To Eradicate 80% Of Drugs Within One Year

[Buchholz]

^ grasping at week-old straws...that reference even older straws....

.

Edited September 18, 2011 by Buchholz

[Siam Simon]

Still attempting to drag something out of nothing? Did you not get mocked enough by others for your ridiculous presumptions when you posted this nonsense earlier in a different thread?

"Crims" does not equate to convicted. Sorry for you if you don't hang with slang.

Anyway, wanna try again with another specific incident? Your plural use would indicate there are others. Something where I make the same erroneous contentions as Richard4849?

.

Well actually no. I was just wondering if you had it within you to name names of those who are criminals that are serving in the present government. Obviously not. Therefore one of your usual techniques of throwing out accusations here, there and everywhere hoping someone will back you up. Remember you inferences on Yingluck and Mingkwan?

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:

Criminal \Crim"i*nal\, <a class="pos" href="http://define.com/noun">noun One who has commited a crime; especially, one who is found guilty by verdict, confession, or proof; a malefactor; a felon.

http://define.com/criminals

Would one of them be the one where he mocked Mingkwan being taken ill during a parliamentary sitting? Ugh!

[Ricardo]

No country has ever eradicated drugs. Not even the death penalty can stop it, because addicts cannot think rationally when it comes to drugs! That is the definition of an addict! You cant scare them off drugs because the idea of being off drugs is far scarier.

Weed, though is different. It is too fun and too harmless to ever be eradicated.

I don't live in Thailand yet, but from what I hear and read it has a far lower drug using rate than here in the US. We have a far better police force, better strategy, more money and more technology to fight our own war on drugs and it has clearly failed.

Most posting on this forum would probably be surprised to hear that most users, (and addicts) are regular, hardworking, otherwise good people, store clerks, businessmen, students ect. These are good people who mostly use just to unwind or add excitement to the night. The same way you do with your beer Chong, and Sangsom whiskey. Hell there is plenty of medical documentation that shows that it is even safer than alcohol.

And for anyone who thinks that the Police action eradicated marijuana and opium is clearly wrong. They weren't eradicated, they just went out of style, same thing in the west.

Erm ... the beer is called 'Chang', and 'Sang Som' is rum, not whisky. But welcome to a new poster & future farang resident.

[nurofiend]

who's mouth did the '80%' claim come from?

[Buchholz]

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Sunday launched an anti-narcotics operation as a national agenda with the aim to eradicate 80 per cent of drug use and drug trafficking within one year.

deja vu all over again...

Rah Rah Rah! Only Thaksin could eliminate all the drugs throughout all areas of the whole country!

Thaksin declares the country 'drug-free area'

"The government is pleased to announce that the country is now a drug-free area and will proclaim victory in its war on drugs," said Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

- The Nation / April 13, 2003

http://www.nationmul...area-77076.html

================================================

2,500 slaughtered in order to make some asinine, absurd, patently false claim.

Isan set to become drug-free region

BANGKOK, 21 February 2012 (NNT) - Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubumrung has announced the government policy to turn all 20 northeastern provinces into drug-free areas.

Police Captain Chalerm traveled to Phen district, Udon Thani province, on Tuesday to receive a briefing on the district’s bypass road project and listen to the local residents’ problems.

He also delivered the anti-drug policy to coordinators of the “Phalang Phandin” Project against Narcotic Drugs at the Conference Hall of Udon Thani College of Business Administration and Tourism.

The Deputy PM laid stress on the government’s policy to solve problems of people from all walks of life and confirmed that the government and himself, in his capacity as director of the government’s anti-drug center, were doing the utmost to combat drugs.

He said Thailand had held talks with neighboring countries and China to find measures to protect border areas, intercept the smuggling of narcotic precursors, strictly suppress drug dealing and rehabilitate drug addicts.

Police Captain Chalerm reiterated that all government operations to eradicate drugs were under the rule of law.

Udon Thani is expected to be the first among the 20 northeastern provinces to be free from drugs.

-- NNT 2012-02-21

[Colin Yai]

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Sunday launched an anti-narcotics operation as a national agenda with the aim to eradicate 80 per cent of drug use and drug trafficking within one year.

deja vu all over again...

Rah Rah Rah! Only Thaksin could eliminate all the drugs throughout all areas of the whole country!

Thaksin declares the country 'drug-free area'

"The government is pleased to announce that the country is now a drug-free area and will proclaim victory in its war on drugs," said Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

- The Nation / April 13, 2003

http://www.nationmul...area-77076.html

================================================

2,500 slaughtered in order to make some asinine, absurd, patently false claim.

Isan set to become drug-free region

BANGKOK, 21 February 2012 (NNT) - Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubumrung has announced the government policy to turn all 20 northeastern provinces into drug-free areas.

Police Captain Chalerm traveled to Phen district, Udon Thani province, on Tuesday to receive a briefing on the district’s bypass road project and listen to the local residents’ problems.

He also delivered the anti-drug policy to coordinators of the “Phalang Phandin” Project against Narcotic Drugs at the Conference Hall of Udon Thani College of Business Administration and Tourism.

The Deputy PM laid stress on the government’s policy to solve problems of people from all walks of life and confirmed that the government and himself, in his capacity as director of the government’s anti-drug center, were doing the utmost to combat drugs.

He said Thailand had held talks with neighboring countries and China to find measures to protect border areas, intercept the smuggling of narcotic precursors, strictly suppress drug dealing and rehabilitate drug addicts.

Police Captain Chalerm reiterated that all government operations to eradicate drugs were under the rule of law.

Udon Thani is expected to be the first among the 20 northeastern provinces to be free from drugs.

-- NNT 2012-02-21

Thanks for the PHOTO and your well Informed remarks Buchholz , It just goes to show that "mission Impossible" really is Impossible! Edited February 22, 2012 by Colin Yai

[phiphidon]

Still attempting to drag something out of nothing? Did you not get mocked enough by others for your ridiculous presumptions when you posted this nonsense earlier in a different thread?

"Crims" does not equate to convicted. Sorry for you if you don't hang with slang.

Anyway, wanna try again with another specific incident? Your plural use would indicate there are others. Something where I make the same erroneous contentions as Richard4849?

.

Well actually no. I was just wondering if you had it within you to name names of those who are criminals that are serving in the present government. Obviously not. Therefore one of your usual techniques of throwing out accusations here, there and everywhere hoping someone will back you up. Remember you inferences on Yingluck and Mingkwan?

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:

Criminal \Crim"i*nal\, <a class="pos" href="http://define.com/noun">noun One who has commited a crime; especially, one who is found guilty by verdict, confession, or proof; a malefactor; a felon.

http://define.com/criminals

Would one of them be the one where he mocked Mingkwan being taken ill during a parliamentary sitting? Ugh!

and his sexual preferences.............

[Buchholz]

Thailand: Police Blamed for Killing Drug Suspect

Parliamentary Findings Demand Strong Action to Combat Police Brutality

A Thai parliamentary inquiry that found that police used excessive force in the fatal shooting of a drug suspect should prompt an immediate criminal investigation and prosecution of those responsible, Human Rights Watch said today.

On March 14, 2012, the parliamentary Police Affairs Committee announced its findings in the shooting death of Pairote Saengrit, a 24-year-old engineer, in Sakon Nakhon province.

On the night of December 27, 2011, police from the Sakon Nakhon provincial anti-drug squad shot and killed Pairote, saying he was a drug trafficker who was trying to evade arrest after a car chase. The police claimed that they fired at Pairote in self-defense, but Pairote and the two passengers in his car were later found by police to have been unarmed.

Continues:

http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/03/16/thailand-police-blamed-killing-drug-suspect

Human Rights Watch - March 16, 2012

.

[maidu]

Here we go again. I'll file this alongside her brother's promise to 'end gridlock in Bkk' (could that be a title to a song?).

With their blinders firmly attached, Yingluck and Chalerm can take Thaksin's directive (remember; "Thaksin thinks, Puea Thai Acts) to eradicate drug use, and Thai peasants all over Issan will feel a warm fuzzy feeling, knowing their government is helping them.

Reality check (pass the smelling salts, please): Pharmacutical drugs cause more harm and more deaths than all illegal drugs combined. I can't say 'compared to all drugs', because if the big legal drug (alcoholic drinks) were in the equation then it wouldn't hold.

Speaking of alcoholic drinks, what does Ms Yingluck plan to do about the varnish remover sold in every mom and pop shop in Thailand? I'm referring to the moonshine known as rice whiskey which has fans in every Thai village. Neither will Chalerm do a campaign against it, as it's too closely related to his favorite bevarage; Johnny Walker whiskey (probably Blue Label, as that's its most expensive variety).

Edited March 17, 2012 by maidu

[maidu]

Thailand: Police Blamed for Killing Drug Suspect

Parliamentary Findings Demand Strong Action to Combat Police Brutality

A Thai parliamentary inquiry that found that police used excessive force in the fatal shooting of a drug suspect should prompt an immediate criminal investigation and prosecution of those responsible, Human Rights Watch said today.

On March 14, 2012, the parliamentary Police Affairs Committee announced its findings in the shooting death of Pairote Saengrit, a 24-year-old engineer, in Sakon Nakhon province.

On the night of December 27, 2011, police from the Sakon Nakhon provincial anti-drug squad shot and killed Pairote, saying he was a drug trafficker who was trying to evade arrest after a car chase. The police claimed that they fired at Pairote in self-defense, but Pairote and the two passengers in his car were later found by police to have been unarmed.

Continues:

http://www.hrw.org/n...ng-drug-suspect

Human Rights Watch - March 16, 2012.

Now, if he was a Shinawatre or a Chalerm, it would be a whole different ball of wax - as far as investigation. As it is, he will be classified as a nobody, and the Thai cops involved will get off the hook, as they always do. At worst, assigned to a post in a distant village (to do their dirty deeds somewhere else). If it weren't for soggy excuses, how could Thailand function?

[OzMick]

Yingluck Pledges To Eradicate 80% Of Drugs Within One Year

If she was referring to her own, this may indeed be possible, except of course for the more ephemeral but stronger drugs of power and greed.

[maidu]

Top politicians, clean out your own liquor cabinets first, before casting stones at other drug users.

[cup-O-coffee]

just a thought?

how will anyone know if she succeeds or not?

how does one know how much product is in circulation?

hence how much is 80%?

its not like harvesting rice..........

WOW! One of the more brilliant posts here.

That should be the appropriate response to the PM, "Excuse me PM Yingluck, but how, exactly, will you be able to demonstrate that 80% of drug use and 80% of drug trafficking has been done away with?"

It is also my opinion that demonizing drug users is not the way to go. They are addicted, and simply punishing them for seeking self medication through drug use (to escape the hopelessness of living in Thailand and being poor) is cutting off the head to spite the nose.

Simply legalizing drugs and prescribing it to the addicts and providing places where they can work their way off it would be a non-violent method of making the drug dealing scum dry up and wither away.

Sometimes you can't kill the competition. Sometimes you have to get involved in order to raise the level of the product so that the customer base moves over into your market. Hence effectively removing the dealers from the equation.

As long as their is no hope in this country, then drugs will be here to stay as a means to escape from that hopelessness and dismal reality. A chemically induced feeling of well-being and peacefulness is found in drugs, alcohol, tobacco and other substances. When the question "why do they do it?" is addressed and a solution is provided that aids the user to be able to stop, then maybe people will choose to stop.

If the government cannot provide the reality of a good life for their people, then the people will go where there is least resistance and a quick fix. It is therefore hypocritical for the government to bludgeon their own people for the failures of said government.

After all, what benefit is there for a user to stop and face the sad realities of living in this country with no hope of a decent education, good paying job, health care, a means to raise and support children and so on and so on.

Even if the PM does manage to do away with this imaginary 80%, then I assure her that the footprint left behind will swiftly fill in again, as it was before.

Edited March 17, 2012 by cup-O-coffee

[bigbamboo]

just a thought?

how will anyone know if she succeeds or not?

how does one know how much product is in circulation?

hence how much is 80%?

its not like harvesting rice..........

WOW! One of the more brilliant posts here.

That should be the appropriate response to the PM, "Excuse me PM Yingluck, but how, exactly, will you be able to demonstrate that 80% of drug use and 80% of drug trafficking has been done away with?"

It is also my opinion that demonizing drug users is not the way to go. They are addicted, and simply punishing them for seeking self medication through drug use (to escape the hopelessness of living in Thailand and being poor) is cutting off the head to spite the nose.

Simply legalizing drugs and prescribing it to the addicts and providing places where they can work their way off it would be a non-violent method of making the drug dealing scum dry up and wither away.

Sometimes you can't kill the competition. Sometimes you have to get involved in order to raise the level of the product so that the customer base moves over into your market. Hence effectively removing the dealers from the equation.

As long as their is no hope in this country, then drugs will be here to stay as a means to escape from that hopelessness and dismal reality. A chemically induced feeling of well-being and peacefulness is found in drugs, alcohol, tobacco and other substances. When the question "why do they do it?" is addressed and a solution is provided that aids the user to be able to stop, then maybe people will choose to stop.

If the government cannot provide the reality of a good life for their people, then the people will go where there is least resistance and a quick fix. It is therefore hypocritical for the government to bludgeon their own people for the failures of said government.

After all, what benefit is there for a user to stop and face the sad realities of living in this country with no hope of a decent education, good paying job, health care, a means to raise and support children and so on and so on.

Even if the PM does manage to do away with this imaginary 80%, then I assure her that the footprint left behind will swiftly fill in again, as it was before.

What is the Thai for 'clang'?

[ParadiseLost]

Bring on the war on drugs asap, its all so entertaining, I love to watch the u-tube video's seeing drug dealers get shot is so much fun. I want some fresh entertainment. Do you people really care if a druggy or dealer gets shot without a day in court?

The police are not going to shoot you unless your a known dealer! So what if a inocent person cops a cap. Mistakes will happen, more inocent peolpe die every day choking on a fish bone than accidently get shot by a cop.

Shoot first ask questions later is the only way to send the message. The rest of the world should watch and learn the Taksin way.

I wait with much anticipation for the day you get into an argument with someone who decides to get revenge on you by giving your name to his Royal Thai Police buddy and you are suddenly targeted...

That would make great viewing as I am sure your attitude would not be so gung-ho - more likely a sobbing pool of dribble and p*ss claiming your innocence just like the rest of them.

I find it amazing that anyone can claim they are comfortable living in a society where the law can so easily be taken into an individual's hands with little retribution. Courts are there for a reason - to protect you from corrupt, amoral cowboys who are the main problem behind the drugs themselves.

Edited March 17, 2012 by ParadiseLost

[ginjag]

This pledge is similar to --"up to 80% off"  just like a sale item.  What was the original price ?   and   =Up to= ?  another brilliant=Stupid prediction

[yoshiwara]

Yingluck is supposedly Thaksin's clone. The drugs campaign announcement is a dog's whistle to the red supporters and lets them know he is pulling the strings. Other than that, good luck.

Edited March 17, 2012 by yoshiwara

[DLock]

People like to point at the failure of the US War on Drugs.

But why not look at the success Singapore has achieved, and they have done this surrounded by some of the worst drug countries in the world.

Whilst they are not "drug free", they are far ahead of Thailand...and the US.

If the war isn't working, it's time to crank it up a notch.

Edited March 17, 2012 by DLock

[henleyd]

I love Yingluck ! shes so hot, she can do what she wants she will always have my love and suport xxxxxxxxxxx Kiss Kisss Yingluck love forever xxxxxxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

[Reasonableman]

Reminds me of that Danish beer commercial

Edited March 17, 2012 by Reasonableman

[henleyd]

[simply legalizing drugs and prescribing it to the addicts and providing places where they can work their way off it would be a non-violent method of making the drug dealing scum dry up and wither away]

Thats crazy you cant legalize and pescribe something that makes them feel good ! they will never stop taking it like that ! they will take more and more and think its ok.

They tried that in Australia with a narcotic called methadone , methadone is more adictive than heroin and now there is more methadone adicts than heroin adicts ! The heroin problem has gone away its just too expensive now so they all are life long methadone adicts now !

You need to take the drug away from them ! Its called cold turkey 2 weeks later your fine! lock em up go cold turkey its so simple!

[Yahooka]

People like to point at the failure of the US War on Drugs.

But why not look at the success Singapore has achieved, and they have done this surrounded by some of the worst drug countries in the world.

Whilst they are not "drug free", they are far ahead of Thailand...and the US.

If the war isn't working, it's time to crank it up a notch.

You cannot compare Singapore with the neighbouring countries.The demographic and size there makes war against drug there much easier.

[dominique355]

OK, 6 months have passed since the PM has promised to eradicate 80% of drug dealers and addicts. So by today, about 40% of them should have been eliminated, right? Are they?

And if it takes one year for 80%, in an additional 3 months, 100% will be eliminated, that is by the end of this year.

Let's judge politicians by what they actually achieve, not by what they promise. Is the PM then a failure?

[ParadiseLost]

[simply legalizing drugs and prescribing it to the addicts and providing places where they can work their way off it would be a non-violent method of making the drug dealing scum dry up and wither away]

Thats crazy you cant legalize and pescribe something that makes them feel good ! they will never stop taking it like that ! they will take more and more and think its ok.

They tried that in Australia with a narcotic called methadone , methadone is more adictive than heroin and now there is more methadone adicts than heroin adicts ! The heroin problem has gone away its just too expensive now so they all are life long methadone adicts now !

You need to take the drug away from them ! Its called cold turkey 2 weeks later your fine! lock em up go cold turkey its so simple!

That is all fine and well, but history has shown that you cannot 'take it away' - people actually want things, or do you believe that 'dealers' are actually 'pushers' and many are forced into partaking?

Prohibition was the last great experiment and that failed miserably; so badly that it changed the face of crime in the US and gave birth to real organised crime.

Today there are billions of dollars involved in the drug trade, with most of it going into criminal coffers. If you consider how far the US is moving towards letting big money influence their elections, how long will it be until dirty money trumps so-called good money?

IMO of course drugs should be legalised - not all drugs, but substances which adults can purchase and consume without running amok - pretty much the situation today but they are forced to buy from street dealers rather than bottle shops...

If this approach was taken many years ago, perhaps we would not have seen the likes of meth, ice, crack etc. - when last have you heard of a new alcoholic beverage? There are laws controlling brewing, distribution and accessibility and they seem to work quite well.

Of course there are the occasional idiots who overindulge, and there are many negative consequences to society overall - but, governments realise that banning alcohol would be far, far worse.

Edited March 17, 2012 by ParadiseLost

[bangkokrick]

How can this be measured? No one knows the extent of drug use in Thailand, well maybe other than the users. This will be declared as a great success in 12 months time and the figures will of course fit the original promise.

[gemini81]

Fight the little battles instead of the big ones (corruption, income gap, uneducated people....I'm dreaming now!). No surprise she would publicize this instead of fighting major issues since she's completely incapabe. She has done little other than 1st time buyer's home/car and some tax reduction plans on PIT, CIT (though that'll just mean less of a budget).

She's really gonna stick her foot in her mouth on this one (taking lesson from chalerm I'd say?!)

[gemini81]

who's mouth did the '80%' claim come from?

I came from the opening of a pheu thai member, but never quite sure which end is the mouth, and which is the.....

[hellodolly]

just a thought?

how will anyone know if she succeeds or not?

how does one know how much product is in circulation?

hence how much is 80%?

its not like harvesting rice..........

WOW! One of the more brilliant posts here.

That should be the appropriate response to the PM, "Excuse me PM Yingluck, but how, exactly, will you be able to demonstrate that 80% of drug use and 80% of drug trafficking has been done away with?"

It is also my opinion that demonizing drug users is not the way to go. They are addicted, and simply punishing them for seeking self medication through drug use (to escape the hopelessness of living in Thailand and being poor) is cutting off the head to spite the nose.

Simply legalizing drugs and prescribing it to the addicts and providing places where they can work their way off it would be a non-violent method of making the drug dealing scum dry up and wither away.

Sometimes you can't kill the competition. Sometimes you have to get involved in order to raise the level of the product so that the customer base moves over into your market. Hence effectively removing the dealers from the equation.

As long as their is no hope in this country, then drugs will be here to stay as a means to escape from that hopelessness and dismal reality. A chemically induced feeling of well-being and peacefulness is found in drugs, alcohol, tobacco and other substances. When the question "why do they do it?" is addressed and a solution is provided that aids the user to be able to stop, then maybe people will choose to stop.

If the government cannot provide the reality of a good life for their people, then the people will go where there is least resistance and a quick fix. It is therefore hypocritical for the government to bludgeon their own people for the failures of said government.

After all, what benefit is there for a user to stop and face the sad realities of living in this country with no hope of a decent education, good paying job, health care, a means to raise and support children and so on and so on.

Even if the PM does manage to do away with this imaginary 80%, then I assure her that the footprint left behind will swiftly fill in again, as it was before.

Not sure if you have a clear picture of drug use. You seem to relate it to only poor and needy.

If they were to eradicate drug use by 80% it would leave a few holes in the government seats of power. Also many of the so called elite would be missing out on drugs.

Make no mistake about it Alcohol is a drug

On another point I wonder if they truly believe their neighboring countries are trying to stop the flow of drugs out of their country I would think they would be happy to see them go.

[bigbamboo]

Reminds me of that Danish beer commercial

Haha!..... nice one.

Reminds me of that old joke. What's the difference between a fox and a dog?

About eight pints.

[Buchholz]

Chalerm wants drug runners executed faster

Presiding over a press conference yesterday to announce the seizure in Chiang Rai of 2.5 million ya ba tablets and 50 kilograms of crystal meth, or "ice", worth Bt800 million, Deputy Premier Chalerm Yoobamrung vowed to change the law to ensure that drug dealers who are sentenced to death are executed within 30 days of the final verdict in their cases.

Chalerm also warned hospitals and pharmacists not to supply pseudoephedrine-based cold medicines to makers of ya ba and "ice", or they would face serious punishment.

Meanwhile, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) said cold medicine from some 30 hospitals had reportedly been smuggled to drug networks. The DSI would probe Kalasin's Kamalasai Hospital and Chiang Mai's Doi Lor Hospital this week. Central Udon Thani Hospital clarified that a check of its cold medicine stocks for the past three years found that 4.8 million tablets had been embezzled - not 37 million tablets as some news agencies said.

During yesterday's conference at Suvarnabhumi Airport, where male suspect Damrong Samawawiang, 39, and females Hassareudee Arthorn-prachachit, 34, and Parichart Charoonwit, 27, were presented with the seized drugs, Chalerm said officials had been investigating the alleged drug ring since January. It allegedly sent drugs from Chiang Rai to Bangkok, leading to a stakeout at a Muang Chiang Rai house.

Police on Thursday followed the two female suspects, who had packed boxes at the house and taken them to Damrong at a warehouse on the Chiang Rai Super-Highway. Police presented themselves at the warehouse and searched the six boxes, in which they found the drugs, leading to the arrest of the three. The boxes were bound for Bangkok's Saphan Sung, with bogus names.

Damrong reportedly told police he sent such packages 10 times before in smaller amounts. Chalerm said the husband of Parichart, who rented the house, was arrested with accomplices in a previous bust involving 300,000 ya ba tablets and Bt3 million in assets.

Hassareudee - who is the sister of Parichart's husband - was arrested once before in a police sting with 200 ya ba tablets, Chalerm said. He added that the group didn't seem to fear the law or to have learnt a lesson, so they deserved the severest punishment. He said he would propose an amendment requiring drug dealers sentenced to death to be executed within 30 days of their final verdict, as drug-trafficking was a serious issue and many inmates continued to deal drugs in jail.

The National Command Centre for Drugs (NCCD) said that from Sept 11, 2011 to March 15 authorities had arrested 321 suspected ya ba dealers and seized 26 million tablets; plus 143 suspected "ice" dealers and seized 600kg of the drug. They also seized 200kg of heroin, 4.6 tonnes of marijuana, 13.7kg of cocaine and 4.2 million tablets with pseudoephedrine.

Commenting on the probe into alleged theft of cold medicine at Central Udon Thani Hospital, Uttaradit's Thong Saeng Khan Hospital and Chiang Mai's Doi Lor Hospital, DSI chief Tharit Pengdit said investigators had traced drug-lot numbers and found a link to a February 18 cold-medicine seizure in Chiang Mai. Tharit said the DSI-Food and Drug Administration probe found many hospitals and clinics bought suspiciously large amounts of cold medicine.

Based on the lot numbers, he said three public hospitals, one private hospital, eight clinics and one pharmacy were linked to the Chiang Mai cold-medicine seizure. He said this had led to a suspicion that a gang was siphoning cold medicine from the public health system through some 30 hospitals to San Kamphaeng in Chiang Mai for narcotics production.

After the case at Kalasin's Kamalapisai Hospital, in which 356,535 cold medicine tablets were missing, was made public, three drug-dispensing personnel were suspended and face disciplinary probes. Kalasin deputy police said an initial investigation found at least five people were involved. A check of last year's receipts found 21 had inflated the amount of drugs actually distributed. The case report would be sent to the Drug Suppression Police this week.

Police also seized 9,019 ya ba tablets in Rayong's Klaeng district, but the suspect, Theerawat Sriserm, 24, the son of an official, fled. Police seized 32,000 ya ba tablets in Lop Buri's Tha Wung district but the alleged owner, female village head Panida Meejaijeu, 33, fled.

-- The Nation 2012-03-18