The Associated Press

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) Goaded by a politician who displayed
illegally obtained amphetamines to show how lax drug enforcement
was, Thai authorities are now investigating a highranking suspect:
the lawmaker himself.
Opposition legislator Ongart Klampaiboon's troubles started
Sunday when he summoned reporters to challenge government claims
that a crackdown was driving illegal drugs off the streets of
Thailand.
To add oomph to his allegations, Ongart and fellow legislator
Suwaroj Palang displayed six amphetamine pills they said had been
bought by a drug informant in Suwaroj's home district.
To demonstrate one way that users might take the amphetamines,
by freebasing, Ongart ground up a pill, spread the powder across
a piece of foil and lit up.
Then, with newspaper reporters watching and television cameras
rolling, he inhaled the smoke through a straw or did he?
Not at all, he insisted after the government and police
objected, although at the time he was sweating and told reporters
his heart was beating extrafast.
``This was a serious criminal offense,'' police Maj. Gen.
Siripong Suntanon was quoted as saying today in the newspaper The
Nation. ``He knows it was a drug, yet he still used it.''
Thailand's Narcotic Suppression Bureau Commissioner is
investigating the case. Both Ongart and Suwaroj could face up to
10 years in prison and stiff fines if convicted of drug charges,
the Interior Ministry said.
The New Aspiration Party, the lead partner in Thailand's
coalition government, also may pursue legal action against Ongart
and the Democrat Party, New Aspiration members and allies said.
Amphetamines are the new scourge of Thailand's drug scene, and
police have proven powerless to stop a sharp increase in their
availability. As many as 1 million of Thailand's 60 million people
are frequent users.
Most are produced in the Golden Triangle, bestknown as the
world's largest heroinmaking region, where the borders of
Thailand, Laos and Burma meet.