Thai soldiers on deadly drug patrols

Members of antinarcotic Platoon 04, part of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment based in Chiang Rai, on patrol along the ThaiBurma border.

Thai military units that double as anti-narcotic agents have stepped up patrols on the country's northern borders with Burma and Laos in an effort to intercept drug couriers who are infiltrating into northern provinces carrying part of a backlog of more than 28 million amphetamine tables known to be waiting for delivery into Thailand.

For members of Platoon 04 of a cavalry taskforce based in Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district, nightly stakeouts are routine, but occasional ambushes are deadly affairs because the drug couriers often fight to the death.

"We are most worried about them hurling grenades at us, even after we fire at them in an ambush. We often wait until dawn, although earlier sweep searches have suggested all is quiet," said a captain attached to Platoon 04, whose base is at the foot of wellknown Doi Tung, at an altitude of 1,600 metres above sea level.

Platoon 04 is part of a taskforce attached to the 3rd Cavalry Regiment, which is responsible for antidrugs operations in seven districts in Chiang Rai province and two districts in neighbouring Phayao. The regiment has soldiers stationed in 38 bases, 37 checkpoints and 29 interception barricades, covering 153km of the border with Burma and 189km of the border with Laos.

The Platoon's 42 members are divided into two teams for night operations. On routine patrols they go out at night and return the following morning. But when intelligence tipoffs are confirmed, they do not return to the base until their missions are accomplished, and all drug couriers are in custody.

Almost everyone detected on night stakeouts is treated as a drug courier, because villagers seldom travel at night through areas of thick jungle, a sergeant major said. Apparently unarmed individuals are treated better and are released after verification of identity indicates no connection with drug rackets. Drug couriers or suspicious people are questioned and held in civilian custody for further questioning.

"Drug offences carry heavy penalties - even death, so these couriers naturally fight to the death and often use weapons against us," the sergeant major said. "Normally we detonate Claymore mines at them and fire at them without asking questions. We can be fired upon if we ask them to freeze for a body search."

Two drug couriers were arrested in a recent stakeout. Both men were walking silently, each carried a bag pack, and one of them had a leg of his jeans folded to his knee as a coded signal. The signs convinced the stakeout team that the men were couriers and the pair was arrested without injury.

Platoon 04 at the Doi Chang Moob base is specifically responsible for a 16km stretch of border area from Ban Jalor in Tambon Mae Fa Luang to Ban Muser Pha Hee in Tambon Pong Ngarm. An area used frequently by drug couriers is four kilometres from their base - a distance that could be covered in less than half an hour on a Bangkok street.

"It is always a difficult journey to us, especially after it has rained," said a team member. The patrols are made difficult by strict bans on noise and light, but most Platoon members said they suffer most from combat stress.

"It is very stressful for us. Noone knows what will happen," he said.

The regiment is part of a joint antinarcotics programme including Mai Sai police and civilian authorities.

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As well as defending the country and handling antinarcotics operations, the 3rd Cavalry Regiment is also tasked with tackling human trafficking and illegal entry across Thailand's borders.

The laboratories that produce amphetamine tablets bound for Thailand are mostly located in Burma's Wa and Northern Chan states, according to Colonel Pheeranate Katetem, a deputy regimental commander.

He said 28 million amphetamine tablets were known to have been produced, and were waiting to be smuggled into Thailand through northern provinces. Around 20 million tablets are of older varieties known as Y1 and TG. Laboratories also produced a total of 15 million tablets of R variety. About 6 million of these have been confiscated and about 7 million are waiting for distribution within Thailand.

A new variety known as Wy, which is orangered in colour, has been produced in unknown quantities.

The colonel is concerned about a new formula being used to make a drug called Ice, which is mixed with pseudoephedrine. This variety is popular among users and is cheaper to make. The Wa producers invest about Bt160,000 for two kilograms of pseudoephedrine to make one kilogram of the drug, which sells for about Bt1.5 million.