Thailand asks Myanmar to arrest key drug suspects

BANGKOK, December 29 (TNA) - The Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) has asked Myanmar to arrest 10 key drug suspects for Thailand. ONCB Secretary-General Permpong Chavalit told journalists on Monday that he has sent a list of the 10 drug suspects, including Chaiwat Pornsakulpaisarn, also known as Yi Se. Permpong stated that the 10 wanted people are suspected of having played important roles in smuggling narcotics into Thailand and Thai authorities have seized more than 100 million baht worth of their assets. For their narcotic production, Permpong said, they are believed to have received drug precursors from traffickers in Thailand, including those active in border areas. Apart of the 10 suspected drug kingpins, who are believed to be in Myanmar, the ONCB chief acknowledged, his office is also hunting for some 14 key drug traffickers in Thailand and some of them are hiding in border areas. According to the ONCB chief, the suspects appear to have delivered illicit drugs in one region, transferred money in another region and hid with ethnic armed forces in a neighboring country, making it more difficult for Thai authorities to arrest them. (TNA)