Vietnam and Thailand have pledged to further strengthen the bilateral cooperation in drug and narcotics control for stable and sustainable development of both countries, contributing to build a drug-free ASEAN Community.

The two countries reached the agreement at the 7 th Bilateral Meeting on Drug Control Cooperation, which took place on November 27 in Vietnam ’s southern coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau .

The Vietnamese delegation to the meeting was led by Major General Do Kim Tuyen, deputy head of the General Department of Crime Prevention and Control under the Ministry of Public Security. The Thai delegation was headed by Sukhum Opasniputh, Deputy Secretary General of Thailand ’s Narcotics Control Board.

They underscored the complicated changes in the regional and international drug crime situation, with expanding area of poppy field and increasing number of drug crime organisations using more cunning and diverse operations.

Therefore, they said, the cooperation between the two countries in the field is becoming more crucial.

Participants reported the dug control situation in their respective countries, while evaluating the results gained since the previous meeting.

The two sides also proposed measures to strengthen the effectiveness of bilateral cooperation in the future.

They agreed to hold the next meeting in Thailand , which will focus on reviewing the treaty on drug and narcotics control cooperation signed by the two governments in 1988.

During the past 14 years, drug control cooperation between Vietnam and Thailand focused on the exchange of visits and the organisation of annual conferences to share information and experience in control the planting of opium poppy, as well as methods to treat drug addiction./.VNA