TOURISTS should be wary of having their drinks spiked with drugs while on Phuket, the meeting of honorary consuls with Phuket's Governor heard yesterday.

British honorary consul Martin Carpenter told the gathering at Provincial Hall in Phuket City that he had been told about two cases so far this year.

''In one case the person was asleep for three days and in the other, for 16 hours in a hotel room,'' Mr Carpenter told the meeting. ''Allegedly some form of drug was put into their drinks.''

Mr Carpenter said that once victims were drugged, they could be robbed of cash, credit cards and other possessions.

Warnings have sometimes also been issued about date-rape drugs.

Mr Carpenter also called for Phuket to have special officers who could deal with sexual assault cases.

''I would like to see some sort of crisis centre where victims can go and be assured of proper treatment in such a delicate situation,'' he said.

Women were ''frightened to report the fact of the rape because the initial contact [with police] is sometimes confusing.''

Phuket Police Commander Pekad Tantipong said that female police officers were now graduating and being given special training in handling cases of sexual assault but none had been posted beyond Bangkok yet.

Officials at Britain's Bangkok Embassy have volunteered to visit Phuket to assess if they can help with steps towards the establishment of a crisis centre and training, Mr Carpenter said.

He also asked whether the results of the nationwide census could help Phuket to gain more police, on the understanding that if the actual population of Phuket was 700,000 to 800,000, as most people believe, more police should be allocated.

Major General Pekad said that Phuket's proper allocation was 1800 officers, but the island actually had only 1100. All provinces in Thailand ran with fewer police than they should have, Major General Pekad said.

The best that could be achieved was a five percent annual increase.