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The Killing Season
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Eight-year-old Jay Unthong's mother was the first casualty in Thailand's
war on drugs. She died just after midnight on Feb. 1, moments after the
launch of a three-month government campaign to rid the country of
narcotics. Jay's parents were small-time dealers in their village of Ban
Rai, in western Ratchaburi province. His mother, Yupin, was reportedly
on a police blacklist. Her husband, Boonchuay, spent 18 months in jail
for possession of amphetamine pills, known in Thai as
ya ba
, or
crazy medicine. On Jan. 31, the family spent the evening playing
fairground games...
