Sattahip officials join navy on drug patrol, catch only seasickness

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Sattahip’s district chief and nine other local administrators joined the Royal Thai Navy on a narcotics-interdiction mission, but succeeded only in getting seasick.
Sattahip’s district chief and nine other local administrators joined the Royal Thai Navy on a narcotics-interdiction mission, but succeeded only in getting seasick.

Sattahip’s district chief and nine other local administrators joined the Royal Thai Navy on a narcotics-interdiction mission, but succeeded only in getting seasick.

Anucha Intasorn, a former naval cadet, and a group of deputy chiefs, village headmen, defense volunteers and district narcotics officers went aboard the HTMS Sattahip Jan. 9 for the first-of-its-kind joint patrol for drugs with the navy.

Vice Adm. Banjob Poedaeng, commander of the first naval area command, saw the group off as it steamed out into rough seas.

Still churned up by last week’s tropical storm, the Gulf of Thailand was hit with swells, along with high winds that rocked the ship.

All the civilians, including the district chief, got terribly seasick, with some passing out and most vomiting. Sailors provided their drug-catching partners with first aid instead and the mission returned to port having caught no one.