ACQUITTED WOMAN GETS DEATH

Prosecution appeal upheld by court

A 20-year-old woman acquitted of drug charges in a lower court has been
sentenced to death by the Appeals Court.

The court yesterday upheld a prosecution appeal against the Criminal
Court's verdict.

Chorladda Chanthima, 20, was third defendant in a drug suit involving four
people.

Charasrawee Cheewinyingyong, 35, and Khomsan Suthung, 20, had earlier been
sentenced to death by the court. Sumaporn Niphon, 20, was acquitted. The
Appeals Court upheld those verdicts.

The Criminal Court had given the benefit of the doubt to Chorladda,
Khomsan's girlfriend.

The Appeals Court ruled there was evidence she had made several phone calls
to Charasrawee and Khomsan on Nov 10, 1999, the night before a large
quantity of methamphetamine pills were seized from the two men. The woman
had earlier said she stayed with the two men on Nov 10.

Police found 500,000 pills hidden in Charasrawee's pick-up in front of a
restaurant in Ram-intha area and another 34,000 speed pills in Khomsan's
apartment room on Nov 11.