Latest News in Thailand

RE: Bangkok Post article on African Drug Dealer Gangs in Thailand
Editorial by David Barkdull, Bangkok
Many will recognized this press release in Bangkok Post for what it is. The typical tripe spun periodically by a figure head when it is his or her turn to say something, anything at all to seem responsible and relevant on [...]

Heath Ledger, Academy-Oscar award for ‘The Joker in The Dark Knight’ ???
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is contemplating giving an award to Heath Ledger, posthumously, for his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight. The buzz is that the sympathetic members of his extended family and fans think he “was” an [...]

The dangers of living in Thailand
David Barkdull
Bangkok
As Whitney Houston said, “Crack is Whack”. We choose to live in Thailand “a developing country” for our own reasons. We have a 250,000 man/woman police in force but apparently they are spread pretty thin because you cannot find a single one to help you when you need [...]

Ayutthaya, Thailand: Drug Enforcement Agents ‘DEA’ in Thailand burn US$310,000,000 of seized illicit illegal narcotic drugs collected this year marking today, the UN anti-drugs day. The drugs were set on fire and destroyed.
The police personnel involved experienced the residual effects from the burning bonfire of drugs. In developed countries special incinerators are used to [...]

Burmese General’s son arrested for drug dealing, His father, a Senior general was asked to resign.
General Aung Zaw Ye Myint’s son was arrested by police on June 7th. He owns the Yetagun Construction Company and was involved with many government construction projects.
The Drug trade is officially illegal in Burma, the junta turns its back to [...]

Hashish Smuggler Dies | 1com News Thailand
An Australian man attempting to smuggle 60 condoms stuffed with 800 grams of hashish in his stomach died at Surat Thani hospital, the hospital confirmed Thursday.
The 51 year old tourist named John Paul Jones was rushed to a hospital in Koh Samui after experiencing stomach pains. On the day [...]

800 Grams of Hashish Mysteriously Appear Inside Australian
(1com Thai News)
A 51 year old Australian tourist named John Paul Jones was rushed to a hospital in Koh Samui after experiencing stomach pains. Doctors X-rayed his abdomen and noticed a group of objects that appeared like a string of sausages inside his intestines.
Dr. Worapob Sutiwatanaruput, who supervised [...]

CONTROVERSIAL COLLABORATION WITH BURMA’S
JUNTA | HARD-LINE DRUG POLICY RISKS PROMOTION OF HIV EPIDEMICS
Myanmar is the main source of opium and amphetamine tablets in South East Asia and second only to Afghanistan in opium/heroin production.
Most of it is grown in the mountainous Shan state northern Burma which enjoys borders with China, Laos and Thailand providing [...]

Several decades of aggressive law-enforcement against narcotic drugs, military operations in Afghanistan, Colombia, Peru and elsewhere have failed to stem the flow.
Where the UN drug authorities have claimed a ‘success story’, ie Big reductions in opium cultivation in Burma and Laos upon closer inspection it turns out to be a misleading claim. In Laos opium [...]