Thai drugs to go up in smoke
- 13 years ago
Police officers in Thailand stack package after package of illegal drugs.
In all, there are 800kg of cocaine, heroin, opium, exctasy and methamphetamines here.
In a very public ceremony, the haul - worth over $132 million dollars - is bound for an incinerator just outside of Bangkok.
Thailand's Prime Minister, Yingluk Shinawatra, was on hand for the burning.
Elected earlier this year, she has vowed to launch a war on illegal drugs.
(SOUNDBITE) (Thai) THAI PRIME MINISTER YINGLUCK SHINAWATRA SAYING:
"From our findings, more young people are becoming drug addicts. They range in age from 15 to 25, which makes us worry. It's becoming a problem of our young generation. Our first priority to bring these people into rehabilitation to stop them using drugs again."
The drug haul burned on Saturday came from over 130,000 busts across the Southeast Asian country.
Later the narcotics were dumped into rubbish bins and fed into an incinerator.
Andrew Raven, Reuters
In all, there are 800kg of cocaine, heroin, opium, exctasy and methamphetamines here.
In a very public ceremony, the haul - worth over $132 million dollars - is bound for an incinerator just outside of Bangkok.
Thailand's Prime Minister, Yingluk Shinawatra, was on hand for the burning.
Elected earlier this year, she has vowed to launch a war on illegal drugs.
(SOUNDBITE) (Thai) THAI PRIME MINISTER YINGLUCK SHINAWATRA SAYING:
"From our findings, more young people are becoming drug addicts. They range in age from 15 to 25, which makes us worry. It's becoming a problem of our young generation. Our first priority to bring these people into rehabilitation to stop them using drugs again."
The drug haul burned on Saturday came from over 130,000 busts across the Southeast Asian country.
Later the narcotics were dumped into rubbish bins and fed into an incinerator.
Andrew Raven, Reuters