Green-and-purple piddle puzzles police

PHUKET TOWN: A drug-test raid on restaurants and karaoke bars early yesterday morning along Wanich Rd produced 12 positive purple tests – and one new green-and-purple result that police had not seen before. While the 79 people who were tested went about their business as usual today, police puzzled over the unusual sample. “It was quite weird,” said Pol Capt Akanit Danpitaksat, who made the raids with Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, Phuket Town Police Station’s Superintendent, and 30 officers soon after midnight. “It separated into two colors – green and purple – which the Phuket Public Health Office [PPHO] called ‘an emulsion’.” Police speculate that it may indicate a new type of illegal drug but, as with all the tests, full results in a week may also show it was the result of some perfectly legal medication. Capt Akanit listed the raided venues as Nong Porn, Ruang Khao, Nong Jame, Poomtawan, Kanokporn, Pintida, Nong On, Nong Pu, Fonthip, Song Saow, Nidnoy, Thewa, Pink 2002, Sam Dao, Nong Sai and Karaoke 2003. Both customers and staff at the venues were involved in the testing. A PPHO staffer told the Gazette that the urine test kit was sensitive to chemicals in the amphetamine (ya bah) group but was also sensitive to some legal medication. “People with purple urine haven’t necessarily used illegal drugs,” the officer said.