SINGAPOREAN FACES POSSIBLE DEATH PENALTY IN THAILAND

BANGKOK - A Singaporean man has been arrested at Bangkok airport and
charged with attempting to smuggle 5.8 kg (12.9 lb) of heroin to Amsterdam,
Thai officials said on Wednesday.

Tan Teck Swee, 49, could face a maximum penalty of death if found guilty by
a Thai court, officials said.

"Trafficking just 100 grams of heroin already carries a death sentence, but
this guy had 5,800 grams," a spokesman at the anti-drug police office told
Reuters.

Thai customs said in a statement Tan, who allegedly hid the drug in a
specially made vest, was caught on Tuesday evening while boarding a KLM
flight to the Netherlands.

Thailand forms part of the notorious "Golden Triangle" -- where the Thai,
Myanmar and Laotian borders meet -- one of the world's top heroin-producing
regions.