Malaysian police officer to testify at Thailand trial

A Malaysian police officer is to testify at the Bangkok Criminal Court next year at a trial involving Lao national Xaysana Keopimpha, dubbed the "ASEAN Drug Lord" by local media, and two of his alleged accomplices.

The officer is scheduled to provide his testimony in the trial that has been set for July 31, Aug 1 to 3 and Aug 7 to 10 next year, according to a statement released by the court.

"The Malaysian police officer will testify as the plaintiff's witness as one of the suspects arrested in Malaysia allegedly ordered drugs from another Lao drug dealer, suspected to be involved with Xaysana," said the statement, without identifying the officer.

The suspect, known among Thai drug enforcement officers as "Sinudeng Ma" or "Kamaruddin", was arrested by the Malaysian police in Kelantan in February this year on suspicion of trafficking large amounts of methamphetamine pills in the country.

His arrest was announced in a statement by the then Bukit Aman Narcotics Department Director Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff.

The suspect, according to Thai officers, also had a Thailand-Malaysia dual citizenship.

Meanwhile, head of Thailand's Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) Lt Gen Sommai Kongvisaisuk told Bernama it was rare for a Thai court to have a witness from another country testify at a trial.

Nevertheless, it showed the good cooperation between Thai and Malaysian authorities in their fight against drug trafficking.

"This just shows that the two countries have a very good relationship and cooperation," he said.

Xaysana was arrested by a group of armed Thai police officers in the busy Suvarnabhumi International Airport on Jan 20 this year, following more than five years of investigation into his alleged South East Asian-wide drug trafficking network.

He was formally charged at the Bangkok Criminal Court on April 18 for allegedly trafficking 1.2 million methamphetamine pills into Thailand from Laos through the Nong Khai checkpoint in north-eastern Thailand on Sept 20 last year.

According to investigators, the drug was supposed to be transported to southern Thailand before being smuggled into Malaysia.

The Laotian, who portrayed himself as a successful businessman and led an extravagant lifestyle with super cars and mansions, has denied all the charges levelled against him and has vowed to clear his name in court. -- Bernama