Thailand Imprisons Drug Offenders

Asia

Thailand: Fifty-five Americans are being held in Thailand on drug charges, the U.S. government reports. Of the 31 women and 24 men, one has been sentenced to death and 17 are serving life sentences. According to the State Department, many of these were gullible individuals who carried the drugs for others, having been lured by offers of free vacations or lucrative payoffs. Some were reportedly unaware that drugs were hidden in their luggage. The State Department notes that prison conditions in Thailand are extremely harsh, and that Thai officials frequently do not notify the U.S. Embassy of the arrest of Americans for minor drug offenses. Nor are Americans the only foreigners affected: The Reuters news agency reports that a court in Bangkok sentenced a British woman to life imprisonment for heroin trafficking, and that more than 30 Britons are serving drug-related sentences in the Southeast Asian nation.

South America

Brazil: Faced with growing lawlessness in Brazil’s most visible city, the state governor of Rio de Janeiro bowed to the urgings of President Itamar Franco early this month and allowed the army to take control of state and local law enforcement. The army will coordinate the fight against bandits and drug traffickers who have chased businesses and tourists out of Rio. More than 23 people a day are murdered in the city of 10 million, which has one of the world’s highest murder rates, twice that of Los Angeles. Rio’s tourism revenue has dropped $800 million a year since 1988. Ten days after the army mobilization, Times correspondent Ron Harris reported that Rio’s drug traffickers were lying low and bandits were disappearing from the streets.

Russia

Although Washington has somewhat softened its harsh assessment of Russian air safety, two accidents have raised new concerns. The two Oct. 29 crashes in Siberia killed at least 26 people and raised the death toll so far this year to at least 287. In July, the State Department had warned of the hazards of Russian flights since the breakup of Aeroflot into about 320 newly privatized national and regional airlines, or “Baby-flots.” But on Oct. 14, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow said a review by U.S. and Russian experts had given Russia “minimally passing marks” for air safety. U.S. government employees were given permission to travel on any Russian airline that is certified to operate internationally. Times correspondent Sonni Efron in Moscow quoted Russian officials as saying the two airlines involved in the latest crashes, Yakutavia and Aeronika, lacked such certification.

Briefly . . .

Cambodia: After the murders of three Western hostages by Khmer Rouge guerrillas, Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihanouk warned tourists to avoid his country, Reuters reported. The three--a Briton, a Frenchman and an Australian--had been captured July 26. The Khmer Rouge also warned Westerners to stay out.

Guatemala: An increase in bus fares touched off demonstrations and rioting in Guatemala City that left one person dead and 32 injured, Reuters said. Troops were called out after students, street gangs, trade unionists and passengers joined forces to stone buses and attack riot police.

India: Police freed a Bay Area resident and three Britons who were held hostage by Kashmiri separatists. Times correspondent John-Thor Dahlburg said the kidnaping of the four foreigners in New Delhi could further damage India’s travel industry, already reeling from an outbreak of plague.

Hot Spots: The State Department has dropped Haiti and Lesotho from its list of places where Americans are advised not to travel. And, citing an attempted coup and unsettled conditions, it has added the West African nation of Gambia. Travel warnings are also in effect for Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Burundi, Colombia, Guatemala, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, North Korea, Peru, Rwanda, Serbia and Montenegro, Somalia, Sudan and Tajikistan.

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The U.S. State Department offers recorded travel warnings and advisories at (202) 647-5225; the fax line is (202) 647-3000.