Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith has called for harsher penalties to combat drug abuse among staff at Thai airports and airlines after tests for illicit substances returned positive for nine employees of Thai Airways International (THAI) at Suvarnabhumi airport.
The urine tests conducted Friday on staff at THAI's catering department suggested an uptick in drug use as last year only six people tested positive for narcotics, a source at THAI said.
The tests were overseen by officials from Bang Phli district office and airport police.
Mr Arkhom later ordered THAI and other agencies working at the airport to set a zero-drug goal, saying he does not want to see any positive test results in the future.
He suggested any staff who fail the test should be disciplined while outsourced employees should be summarily dismissed.
All nine THAI employees have been sacked and ordered to go through rehabilitation, Mr Arkhom said.
In Thailand people who are found guilty of consuming illegal narcotics are treated as "patients" and encouraged to seek treatment and rehabilitation, according to Rayet Rai, assistant chief of Bang Phli district in Samut Prakan.
Offenders are usually directed to join a state-run programme aimed at overcoming their dependency on drugs that teaches them how to avoid high-risk behaviour that could see them slip back into drug use and safeguard their futures, he said.
They can also enter a rehabilitation camp run by Bang Phli district office, Mr Rayet added.
The assistant district chief echoed Mr Arkhom's concern about drug addiction and drug problems among airport and airline staff. The positive test results at Suvarnabhumi airport should never have occurred at "one of the important places in the country", Mr Rayet said.