THAI WOMAN TO BE EXTRADITED TO US

Cabinet yesterday decided to extradite a Thai woman to face drugs charges
in the United States.

Watcharee Ponsivakulchai would be handed over by May 9 on condition that
Washington returned her to face other charges in Thailand.

Watcharee was arrested in 1998 with 350 grammes of heroin, but managed to
flee after she was granted bail. She was caught again in Thailand in September.

The US Drug Enforcement Agency said Watcharee was part of a Chicago-based
drug ring which they had been investigating for more than a year.

"She was supplying an organisation in the US with heroin, and she was
indicted," Bangkok-based DEA official William Snipes said. Watcharee would
be flown to Chicago to await trial on conspiracy to supply narcotics.