U.N. VOICES 'DEEP CONCERN' ABOUT KILLINGS IN THAI WAR ON DRUGS

BANGKOK, Thailand -(AP)- A U.N. human rights official has expressed "deep
concern" over a mounting body count in Thailand's war on drugs, as
authorities on Wednesday said that almost 1,000 people have been killed and
police warned that the death toll was rising by the hour.

The bloody crackdown began Feb. 1. Drug-related shootings have also claimed
the lives of a 1-year-old boy, a 9-year-old boy and a pregnant woman, police
said.

Human rights groups have accused police of following a "shoot-to-kill"
policy or arranging shootings under pressure from their superiors to produce
results.

But police and Interior Ministry officials say that only a small number of
suspects have been killed by officers and that the officers were acting in
self-defense. They say the vast majority of killings have been by drug gangs
seeking to silence potential informants.

The United Nations added its voice to the debate this week with a statement
of concern by Asma Jahangir, a special rapporteur of the U.N. Commission on
Human Rights.

In a statement released in Geneva and received here Wednesday, Jahangir
cited "allegations of excessive use of force resulting in extrajudicial
executions."

"The Special Rapporteur ... has expressed deep concern at reports of more
than 100 deaths in Thailand in connection with a crackdown on the drug
trade," the statement said.

Thai police have put the death toll much higher, reporting that about 500
suspected drug dealers had been killed in violent attacks as of Feb. 20.

An Interior Ministry official said Wednesday that the number had reached 977
on Feb. 24.

Police spokesman Maj. Gen. Pongsaphat Pongcharoen said the killings "happen
almost hourly" but doubted Interior Ministry estimates that put the death
toll at nearly 1,000.

He said police have arrested 8,745 suspected drug traffickers, while another
36,227 suspects have reported to authorities as part of a nationwide appeal.

Jahangir urged Thai officials to ensure that "the strict limits on the use
of lethal force," as stipulated by U.N. regulations, "are followed
rigorously and without exception."

Thailand should promptly launch transparent and independent investigations
into individual deaths to assess the accountability of law enforcement and
security officials, Jahangir was quoted as saying. She expressed hope that
"the perpetrators of human rights violations are brought to justice."

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Wednesday defended police actions.

"Never mind that the U.N. issued a statement of concern," he told reporters.
"They are not condemning us, just showing concern. Actually there are few
cases of police killing suspects out of self-defense."

Thaksin's war on drugs has targeted the stimulant methamphetamine, which is
trafficked in huge quantities from neighboring Myanmar, fueling an addiction
crisis among some 3 million Thais.