BANGKOK, Jan 28 — Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubumrung said illicit drug suppression was one of the government policies announced during the election campaign, and he was confident that involved authorities would be able to make considerable advances in the “War on Drugs” within one year.
Pol Capt Chalerm filled in for the prime minister on her TV programme “Yingluck Government meets the People” with National Police Chief Pol Gen Prewpan Dhamapong and Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) Secretary General Pol Gen Adul Sangsingkeo, as Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.
Mr Chalerm, in his capacity as Director of the National Command Center for Drugs (NCCD) said the drug problem was on the national agenda and he intended to root it out in Thailand.
He stated efforts must start from blocking the entry of narcotics from neighboring countries, combined with strict law enforcement and rapid crackdowns on local drug rings.
The number of drug users would be reduced and they would be taken for treatment, he said.
The government would ask for cooperation from neighbouring countries to prevent the smuggling of illicit drugs, said the deputy prime minister.
Meanwhile, entertainment venues would be asked to help authorities to eliminate drugs in their places, he said, adding that with these measures illicit drugs could be significantly reduced within one year.
As for the drug trade in the prisons, Mr Chalerm said that measures would be sought to solve the problems.
He planned to set up a special prison for groups of inmates involved with drugs with special prison staff who were well prepared to deal with these issues. The first could be a prison in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Sikhio district.
