THAILAND'S WAR ON DRUGS UNDERMINE AGAINST AIDS: ACTIVISTS

Aids and human rights activists are planning to organise demonstrations
in front of an international UNAids meeting in Chiang Mai and New York
City on Wednesday to call on the government to reconsider its
controversial war on drugs, saying it undermined the fight against Aids.

They said Thailand's last effort to eradicate drugs, implemented in
2003 under former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, included
extrajudicial killings, 'blacklisting' of suspected drug users and
dealers, and forced drug 'treatment' in militarystyle facilities.

The campaign ended in nearly 3,000 lives, about half of whom had no
connection to drugs, the groups said in a press statement released
Tuesday.

"The 2003 war on drugs is notorious for the crimes against humanity
perpetrated by Thai authorities," said Karyn Kaplan, Director of
Policy and Development for Thai AIDS Treatment Action Group (TTAG).

"We are horrified that Thailand would relaunch such a disastrous
government policy," Kaplan said.

In addition to gross human rights violations, the 2003 drug war
seriously disrupted drug users' access to essential services, such as
HIV treatment, prevention information, counseling and equipment, by
driving drug users even further underground, the statement said.

"While the government has said that they will respect human rights,
they have proven that they can not be trusted without creating a
detailed plan of exactly how they will protect drug users." said
Amanda Lugg, Health GAP Board Member.

Kriengkrai Aiemprasert, outreach worker at Ban Mit Sampan Harm
Reduction Center in Bangkok, said the drug war will have "disastrous
consequences for the fight against AIDS in Thailandand it will not
work as a response to drug use in Thai society," said.

"The Thai Prime Minister should end the war on drugs, and promote a
response to drug use based on evidence, and human rights."

"An estimated 50 per cent of drug users in Thailand are HIVpositive.
HIV incidence and prevalence in Thailand has declined overall, but not
among people who use drugs or other highly vulnerable groups including
men who have sex with men (MSM)," the statement said.

Paisan Suwannawong, director of the Thai AIDS Treatment Action Group
(TTAG) and a former intravenous drug user, said instead of effective
response, "the government has pledged to crack down on drugs and told
us that we should expect more murders."

"The Prime Minister, Samak Sundaravej himself said killings are
'impossible to avoid' in a drug war. This kind of message is
unacceptable and, essentially, a license to kill," Paisan said.