Asean members to make region drug-free
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Ten Asean member countries will reaffirm a joint intention to ensure Southeast Asia evolves into a drug-free region in 2015
Pol Gen Adul Saengsingkaew, secretary general of the Office of Narcotics Control Board, said that ministers whose portfolios deal with narcotics from the 10 Asean countries and the ASEAN secretary general will meet in Bangkok on August 31 to exchange views and information on narcotics suppression, narcotics-related laws and extradition of narcotics criminals.
The upcoming meeting, he said, was also aimed at strengthening the relationships of member countries, given an earlier-declared joint intention to develop Asean region as drug-free zone by 2015.
International drug trafficking networks have increasingly intertwined especially along Thailand’s borders with Myanmar and Laos, which have been plagued with an increasing number of narcotics production factories, he said.
Pol Gen Adul reported an improved drug situation in Thailand in the last 10 months, which has seen more than 65,000 suspects arrested on drug charges and more than 400,000 drug addicts undergoing medical treatment.
However, the Narcotics Control Board has kept a closer watch on various communities after receiving complaints from more than 4,000 communities about rampant drug trafficking.
