Srettha eyes taking US envoy to North to see things for himself

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on Thursday that he may take the US ambassador with him when he visits the North to observe the worsening drug situation.

Srettha said the smuggling of heroin and methamphetamine pills across the northern border has been on the rise, adding that the supply of heroin bound for Australia and the US has risen four-fold.

The premier said US Ambassador to Thailand Robert F Godec met him at Government House on Wednesday and discussed how the two sides could cooperate to battle the scourge of drug trafficking.

Srettha added that Thailand’s Narcotics Control Board was already working with US drug enforcement agencies, but no US officials had actually gone out to observe the situation in provinces first-hand.

“If I have a chance to visit the North late this month, I’ll invite the ambassador to join me,” Srettha said.

He added that his government hopes to turn Nan and Roi Et into drug-free provinces by the end of September. He said every member of vulnerable groups will need to undergo urine tests and screening to find possible addicts. Any drug users found will be forced to enter the Interior Ministry’s rehabilitation procedure, Srettha added.

The premier went on to say that Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has assured him that this goal can be achieved.