Possibly in Burma : Suspect in hist

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Subject: Possibly in Burma : Suspect in historic $172 m heroin haul skips bail 

Reuter 13/3
              Suspect in historic $172 m heroin haul skips bail 



              BANGKOK -- A man charged in the biggest US heroin seizure in
history -- a drug haul
              worth up to US$122 million (S$172 million) -- has skipped bail
granted by a Thai court and
              may now be in Myanmar, out of reach of US and Thai authorities. 

              The United States said yesterday that it was deeply concerned
by the Thai court's
              decision to grant bail to Li Yung Chung. 

              He was freed on five million baht (US$271,000) bail on Feb 7
and failed to report back on
              March 7 as ordered. 

              "We have requested the assistance of the Thai authorities to
return Li to custody as soon
              as possible," a US Embassy spokesman said. 

              But a Thai drugs official said Li had already fled the
country, possibly to Myanmar. 

              He was indicted by a New York court in May last year in
connection with the seizure of
              486kg of heroin, the largest haul of the drug ever in the US.
-- Reuter.