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;AP;KOD; ANPAu..r.. Aglance-Thailand-drugs Five drug traffickers sentenced to death JP/12/ASEAN Drug traffickers sentenced to death THAILAND: A Thai court on Thursday sentenced five drug traffickers to death and a sixth to life in prison for trafficking 7.7 million methamphetamine tablets and 116 kilograms of heroin.
The suspects, all men, were arrested in January last year while delivering the drugs. All were members of ethnic hill tribe minorities from northern Thailand.
The government of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, when it took power early last year, said it would use the death penalty to deter the massive and growing trade in illegal drugs, especially methamphetamine.
A Bangkok Criminal Court document identified those sentenced to death Thursday as Chairath Tan, Supachai Krachaechan, Sunsiang Yoeh, Raksith Nimitrkul and Sombat Pinthong. The sixth convicted man, Pratheep Thaweeapiradeeroj, received a life sentence because he confessed when he was arrested. --AP
;AFP;KOD; ANPAu..r.. Aglance-Cambodia-King Putin heads list of well wishers for Cambodian monarch's birthday JP/12/ASEAN Putin tops list of King's well wishers CAMBODIA: Cambodia's King Norodom Sihanouk marked his 80th birthday on Thursday with an expression of hope amid a cloudy future, as old ally Russia led the list of international well wishers.
Russian president Vladimir Putin was the first to offer the aging monarch his best wishes and thanked Sihanouk for his wisdom and experience that has helped lead Cambodia out of its tragic past.
In a statement, Sihanouk said he and his people had "suffered indescribable pain during the cruel era of the Khmer Rouge" who ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979.
Celebrations for the revered monarch, who reigns but does not rule, kicked off late Wednesday with a spectacular fireworks display over the royal palace with thousands of adoring subjects gathering outside for concerts. --AFP
;AFP;KOD; ANPAu..r.. Aglance-Vietnam-fire Police suspect careless welders may have caused Vietnam inferno JP/12/ASEAN Welders may have sparked inferno VIETNAM: Careless welders may have set off the fire that ripped through an office block in Vietnam's southern commercial capital killing at least 61 people, authorities said on Thursday.
Foreign ministry official Nguyen Van Niem said police were investigating whether builders working in the Blue discotheque on the third floor of the seven-story Saigon International Business Center sparked Tuesday's blaze.
A local reporter for a state-run newspaper, requesting anonymity, said investigators smelt what they thought were chemicals used for welding and said police were hunting for the workers who fled the scene.
Nguyen Thien Nhan, vice chairman of the city's People's Committee, said on Wednesday there were "no signs of sabotage or terrorism". Other officials have said gas from the air conditioning system could have triggered the disaster. --AFP