THAILAND TIGHTENS SECURITY AMID DRUG WAR

Thailand's national police chief said Wednesday he had deployed a special
task force to protect Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra because of a death
threat stemming from the country's violent anti-drug war. "I have ordered a
special task force to protect the prime minister because if some thing
happens to him, the country will fall into chaos," said national police
chief Gen. Sant Sarutanond.

Sant said drug traffickers, including members of the Wa ethnic group in
neighboring Myanmar !X reputed to be among the world's top producers of the
stimulant methamphetamine !X have allegedly offered a reward for Thaksin's
life.

The prime minister beefed up his personal security after launching a tough
crackdown on the illicit drug trade on Feb. 1.

Nearly 1,500 people have been killed since the campaign began, prompting
rights groups to express concern that police were executing suspects. The
government says police have shot a small number of suspects, but that most
were killed by drug gangs seeking to silence potential informants.

Thaksin has replaced his limousine with a bulletproof van, ordered guards
with sniffer dogs to patrol government offices and deployed police along
routes he travels due to alleged threats, The Nation newspaper reported
Wednesday.

About 30 security officers from the Defense Ministry's National Security
Center have been assigned to Thaksin's personal entourage, the paper
reported, quoting Defense Minister Thammarak Isarangura na Ayuthaya.

Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh said earlier that the
government had received reports that foreign drug traffickers were offering
80 million baht (US$1.9 million) for Thaksin's life.

Thaksin told reporters that he doubted any would-be assassins would dare
enter Thailand to get him. "If they are serious, please let them come," he
taunted.

It is not the first time the prime minister has taken such precautions in
the face of perceived threats. In March 2001, he switched to a bulletproof
vehicle after a Thai Airways jet he was about to board exploded on the tarmac.

Investigators later determined that the explosion was caused by an
overheating air conditioning unit that ignited fuel tanks.