COMMUNITY BASED DRUG REHAB CENTER OPENED

Rattananurak Health Rehabilitation Center in Lampang's Muang district was
officially opened by the Minister of Public Health, Sudarat Keyuraphan, on
August 20. The center, on Huay Peng Road, began operating last December for
drug rehabilitation for addicts from 17 northern provinces.

The center's main programs are based on a community-based drug
rehabilitation method. All drug users and addicts live together as a big
family in a safe and drug-free environment. The center also develops their
social skills, alter their behavior and increase their opportunities to be
employed and keep them off drugs in future.

The center has rehabilitated 117 former drug addicts so far, of whom 10
willingly entered the program and 107 were forced to enter, reported Suchart
Laoboriphat, director of the Drug Rehabilitation Center, Chiang Mai. Of
these, 51 were hill tribe member and the rest locals.

The Minister declared that community-based drug rehabilitation had been
accepted globally and over 50 countries had applied this method for their
drug addicts.

According to the evaluation done by the United States, 80 percent of addicts
who passed through community rehabilitation do not return to drug use and
are able to conform to society and live happily.

The Ministry of Public Health had initially targeted 270,000 drug users
nationwide, of whom 118,300 were users and 151,700 addicts, said Sudarat. So
far the numbers have exceeded this with 539,309 having entered the
rehabilitation program.