Thailand to burn over 5 tons of narcotics

BANGKOK, June 21 (TNA) - The Thai government, through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), under the Ministry of Public Health, will burn 5,136 kilograms of narcotics on June 24, marking the United Nations International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on every June 26. FDA Secretary-General Dr. Boonchai Somboonsook told journalists on Tuesday that it will be the 46th incineration of narcotics and involve illicit drugs, worth 11 billion baht, from 231,100 finalised cases. Dr. Boonchai said the over 5-ton seized drugs, most of which are methamphetamine pills, will be incinerated at the Bang Pa-in Industrial Estate in the central Ayutthaya Province. According to the FDA chief, the drugs to be burnt include 4.24 tons of methamphetamine, 422 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine or "ice" and 411kg of heroin. The FDA chief also expressed his support for an idea to remove methamphetamine from the list of narcotics, as users would not go to jail but be rehabilitated, while prosecution, imprisonment and fines would continue with traffickers and producers. The FDA chief noted that narcotic cases have formed about 70 per cent of legal cases in Thailand so far and more than 100,000 people have undergone rehabilitation annually. (TNA)