Thailand is the world's largest per capita methamphetamine consumer

A further 50,000 people have been arrested since the crackdown began at the beginning of February, the police said.

They also claim to have confiscated 14 million methamphetamine pills and seized more than a billion baht (US $23.3m ) in suspects' assets.

The national police office said that of those killed, 51 people were shot dead by police acting in self defence.

The other deaths have been blamed on drug dealers shooting each other.

The crackdown was launched on 1 February by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who said his forces would "X-ray every square inch" of the country to root out drug traffickers.

But the high death toll has provoked international concern that the police are operating a "shoot-to-kill" policy.

Human rights groups accuse the Thai Government of encouraging security forces to carry out extra-judicial killings.

But the police remain defiant.

National police chief General Sant Sarutanond vowed "to carry on with harsh measures against drug barons for the remaining 15 days of the war on drugs," a spokesman said on Wednesday.

The crackdown targets producers and traffickers accused of bringing large amounts of drugs, mainly methamphetamines, into the country.

Five percent of Thailand's 63 million people use methamphetamines, according to figures cited by the International Narcotics Control Board.

Most of the drugs that are brought into Thailand are said to come from neighbouring Burma or the so-called "Golden Triangle" region where the borders of Thailand, Burma and Laos meet.