THAIS GET TOUGH ON DRUGS

Thailand will burn 2,7 tons of drugs worth some 6-billion baht (about
R913-million) today to mark the UN's International Day against Drug Abuse.

The destruction ceremony, which will use an environmentally friendly
incineration technique, is the 31st of its kind and will take place in the
central province of Ayutthaya, Thailand's health ministry said in a statement.

The main item in the haul of drugs seized from 1 166 court cases is 2 066kg
or 22-million tablets of methamphetamine. It also includes 378kg of heroin,
82,9kg of opium and smaller amounts of cocaine and Ecstasy.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has adopted a get-tough approach on
narcotics, including a three-month "drugs war" last year, which claimed at
least 2 500 lives and triggered charges of extrajudicial killings.

However, the government's drive has been strongly endorsed by the Thai
public who are deeply concerned over an epidemic of youth drug addiction,
fuelled by cheap methamphetamine.

Some 5% of the population is estimated to be hooked on stimulant pills -
known there as "yaa ba" or "crazy medicine" - 700-million of which were
trafficked into Thailand in 2002.