KHAOSARN ROAD - MECCA FOR TOURIST POT-SMOKERS

Drugs on the guest house menu - claim

Anucha Charoenpo

Khaosarn Road in Bang Lampoo has long been known as a low-cost haven
for budget tourists. It offers cheap lodging for foreigners from near
and far.

But police say fierce competition is threatening to turn it into a
dark spot that may hurt the city's tourism in the long run.

They say that some guest houses have started offering drugs to
tourists to attract customers. And the proprietors allegedly let the
tourists smoke the drugs in their rooms.

Raids on guest houses at Khaosarn and Rambutri roads last month
apparently sent an alarming signal to police agencies, who say they
are concerned that the place may lose its charm.

They are worried that it will become a hangout for unwanted foreign
drug addicts who come to Thailand purely for dope.

Police explain that they have received reports of illegal practices
for some time, but only in the latest raids have they found evidence
to confirm the problem.

Investigators during the raids found various types of narcotics such
as marijuana, heroin, amphetamines and stimulants hidden in different
corners of one of the guest houses.

The guest house owner and three Japanese tourists were taken to Chana
Songkram police station. The Japanese trio admitted to buying
marijuana from the guest house owner.

They said they had been approached by a man who took them to the
place, and they were told they could buy the drug from the guest house
owners, and enjoy the drug during their stay.

Pol Maj-Gen Komkrij Patpongpanich, deputy commissioner of the
Narcotics Suppression Bureau, claimed that this tactic to entice
tourists into guest houses was widely employed.

"Some guest house owners resort to selling drugs and open their places
for guests to consume drugs simply because they have to have income to
survive the economic hardship," he explained.

Pol Maj-Gen Ukrij Patchimsawat, assistant commissioner of the
Metropolitan Police overseeing narcotics suppression affairs, said he
had received reports of several drug cases from Chana Songkram police.

During the first six months of this year, there were altogether 33
arrests on amphetamine cases, 266 drug-taking cases and 134 drug
possession cases.

The actual number of narcotics law violations was believed to be
higher as Chana Songkram police oversaw Khaosarn Road, he said.

Green Guest House manager Sriboon Autarachotikul, 41, admitted that
Khaosarn Road's reputation had now become unfavourable among law
enforcement officers, because of the drug problem.

His own establishment was also understood to be a drug hangout for
foreign tourists, but this was false, he claimed.

"I do not run that kind of business. Many foreign tourists come and
ask for drugs, but they all walk away when I say I can take them to
get some from the police station," he said.

Mr Sriboon said he had gone to the police and informed on guest houses
in the area that offered drugs to tourists, but police had not been
able to take any action for lack of evidence.

One European tourist, Guiseppe Christiano, 30, claimed he had come to
Khaosarn Road because of the cheap room rates and not for drugs.

But he conceded that he had been witness to the drug-taking activities
of many foreign tourists in their rooms during his three-day stay at
the place.

Checked-by: Rich O'Grady