NO LET-UP IN SUPPRESSION DRIVE PLANNED

'Big Fish' To Face Greater Pressure

There will be no let-up in the anti-drugs compaign after three months and
greater pressure would be exerted against large-scale drug traders, said
Interior Minister Wan Muhamad Nor Matha yesterday.

He said the Feb 1 campaign would not stop after three months as border drug
flows required consistent efforts to stem.

But Mr Wan Nor admitted the suppression drive could not be considered a
success if there were still drug supplies waiting to flood in from the border.

Cooperation with neighbouring countries was also crucial if its operations
were to be successful.

The government was deploying more troops to police the borders and
volunteers were working with villagers on anti-drugs intelligence gathering.

His ministry would conduct background checks of drug suspects with the help
of the National Centre to Defeat Drugs. The suspects' movements would be
monitored vigilantly on a daily basis, Mr Wan Nor said.

Meanwhile, army chief Somdhat Attanand insisted the army had all the
measures in place to fight the drugs menace.

Gen Somdhat said the army had the capacity to intercept drugs hidden on the
Thai side of the border. The problem was busting the supplies on the
Burmese side. His Burmese counterpart Gen Maung Aye had promised to destroy
the drug production sources from his side of the border. Thailand would
provide information on the locations of the production plants.

Third Army commander Lt-Gen Udomchai Ongkhasingh said the Wa minority
rebels owned 55 speed pill factories opposite northern provinces and deep
into its dominated area of Pang Sang. There were five additional
amphetamine pill plants on the Laotian border and three more opposite Tak.