Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has ordered soldiers to kill Burmese drug traffickers bringing drugs into Thailand.
Mr. Thaksin spoke today (Wednesday) just hours after Thai police killed at least seven men trying to cross the border from Burma and drove 11 others back.
He said police retrieved at least half a million methamphetamine tablets. Mr. Thaksin said the intruders were believed to be members of the United Wa State Army, which is allegedly involved in the production and smuggling of drugs.
The Thai leader said he had ordered the foreign ministry to contact Burma and tell them to stop the Wa from making drugs. He said if Burma does nothing to stop the drug trafficking, Thailand will handle the situation itself.
Earlier this year, Thailand carried out a three-month war on drugs that led to the deaths of more than 16,00 people.
Information for this report is provided by AP and Reuters.