US EMBASSY DISMISSES APOLOGY CLAIM

The US Embassy in Bangkok yesterday dismissed a statement from the
Thai government that claimed Washington had apologised for alleging
extrajudicial killings in its annual report on human rights.

"I definitely can not confirm that any letter was sent that can be
characterised as an apology," the spokesman at the US Embassy in
Bangkok said.

Government Spokesman Jakrapob Penkair told a press conference
yesterday that Washington had apologised to the Thai government for
alleging in its annual report on human rights that law enforcement
officers had carried out extrajudicial killings during its war on drugs.

Jakrapob, quoting Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai at
yesterday's weekly Cabinet meeting, said the US had admitted that they
had used "outdated" information in compiling the annual report.

The controversial US report touched on the alleged extrajudicial
killings carried out by Thai law enforcement during the government's
antidrug campaign.

More then 2,500 people were killed in the first phase of the war from
March 1 to May 31, 2003.

The government claimed that all but about 40 of the deaths were
"silence killings" carried out by drug dealers against other dealers
to prevent law enforcement officials from getting information from
them.