CHILD VICTIMS OF THE WAR ON DRUGS DEMAND: WE WANT OUR PARENTS

Ban Mae Maeh School director Saneh Jai-ut can never bring himself to
speak the truth when his students ask him expectantly: "Have you had
any word from my parents?"

Most of the 136 boarding-school students here come from families torn
apart during the Thaksin Shinawatra government's war on drugs.

Some of the children are yet to learn the painful fact that their
parents are either in jail for drug offences or were killed in the
crackdown.

"The best thing I can say is, 'Yes, your parents ask

you to be good and study hard. They say they will come to pick you up
when they have time'," Saneh said.

Located in the remote hill country of Chiang Dao district, the school
is inaccessible by road and cellular telephone signal.

The government's Basic Education Commission provides needy schools
with a daily food allowance of Bt6 per student. This meagre amount is
not enough for Ban Mae Maeh School. It must serve three meals a day -
not just lunches like others. "Boiled rice and boiled cabbage are our
main dishes," a Grade-6 student at the school said.

Most students do not return to their homes during school breaks
because they have no one to return to, he explained.

A young girl said she missed her home but had no idea how she could
return by herself.

"Usually, I ask my headmaster to call my parents. But I have rarely
seen any parent come to visit their children," she added.

When she first arrived, there were just 60 students but that soon
doubled.

"I have shared a bedroom with 31 other girls. We take turns cooking
and cleaning," she said.

Aree Boonkerd, a 26-year-old school worker, said border-patrol
officers, village heads and government officials brought the children
to the school during the government war on drugs.

The Thaksin administration launched the crackdown in early 2003. It
left as many as 2,500 people dead. Many were the victims of
extrajudicial killings.

Human-rights activists allege many innocent people were killed. They
now demand Thaksin be held responsible.

Ban Mae Maeh headmaster Wong Kaewjaima said the number of children
sent to the school did rise during the anti-drug efforts.

"The school has become overcrowded. The school and its students need
assistance," he said.

Saneh hoped his students would be better fed and they could enjoy
their education. "We teach students from kindergarten level up to
Grade 6. Our concern is with our graduates. We don't know what will
happen to those who cannot continue their education at secondary schools."

Saneh said the school tried hard to rehabilitate students so that they
could live happily in society.

"We hope our students will be good members of society," he
said.