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Three Australians held in
Thailand on heroin charges
BANGKOK, Thursday
(AAP). — Thai police ar
rested Sydney rugby league
player Paul. Hayward and two
other Australians for alleged
ly trying to smuggle 8.4 kilo
grams of heroin out of the
country and are expected to
proceed against them under
Article 27 of the Constitution.
The Article provides for detention
of up to 30 days, and allows prose
cution without the accused appear
ing in a public court.
An ethnic Chinese who was dealt
with under Article 27 without trial
for heroin trafficking was executed
by machinegun on October 4, by
order of the Prime Minister, Mr
Kriangsak.
Mr Hayward, 26-year-old half
back with Sydney's Newtown
Rugby League Club, was arrested
yesterday with Mr Warren Fellows,
also 26, in their hotel room. The
police alleged that they were in
possession of 8.4 kilograms of hero
in worth more than S2.5 million on
the international market.
Police later picked up Australian
born Mr William Sinclair, 55, who
runs a bar in Bangkok.
Police said Mr Hayward and Mr
Fellows arrived in Bangkok on Oc
tober 3. An arrest warrant had been
issued for Mr Fellows earlier this
year, and when he arrived he was
using an assumed name.
Bangkok newspapers said all
three men were members of a hero
in-smuggling ring which the papers
called "the Australian connection".
Police said Mr Hayward and Mr
Fellows were due to leave for Aus
tralia yesterday with 25 plastic bags
of first-grade heroin which they had
bought for less than $38,900 but
which was worth more than $2.5
million on the international market.
Police said they were treating Mr
Sinclair, who has lived in Bangkok
for several years, as a "major finan
cier" in the alleged drug-smuggling
attempt.
No Westerner has been executed
for heroin trafficking in Thailand.
Apart from the execution on Octo
ber 4," two other ethnic Chinese
traffickers were executed last
August.
In Sydney yesterday, Mr John
Singleton, a businessman and spon
sor of Newtown club, sent his solic
itor Mr John Tessarero, to Bangkok
to help Mr Hayward.
Mr Singleton, a friend of Mr
Hayward, said he wanted to do
everything possible to ensure that
the player was given a fair trial.
He had contacted the Minister
for Home Affairs, Mr Ellicott, and
the acting Minister for Foreign Af
fairs, Mr Sinclair, about Mr Hay
ward's arrest.
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