Thai Lawmaker's Anti-Drug Protest Leads to His Investigation

INTERNATIONAL August 1997

Ong-art Klampaiboon, an opposition lawmaker in Thailand, sought to express his frustration with his government's failure to crack down on drugs by grinding up an amphetamine pill, heating, and then inhaling it in front of reporters and television cameras in Bangkok. He then complained of an increased heart rate. The case is being investigated by the Narcotic Suppression Bureau Commissioner, and Klampaiboon and some of his Democratic Party colleagues may face criminal charges (Associated Press, "Thai lawmaker's drug stunt backfires," Virginian-Pilot, July 3, 1997, p. A4).