Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand’s Government is putting together a six-month campaign tackling drug problems, call centre gangs, and human trafficking, Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said on January 20.
As reported by the local English-language news site Bangkok Post, the Deputy PM said a meeting was planned for January 30, when officials from the Interior Ministry, Royal Thai Police, Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo), and other agencies would discuss new measures to better tackle the three issues. After the meeting, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is set to formally announce the details of the campaign, along with leaders of the armed forces and the national police chief.
Stricter measures would be introduced if the overall situation did not improve within six months, Phumtham said.
Following his visit to the Mekong River region last week, Phumtham noted that the many natural crossings along the border pose a great challenge to security. He said “a two-layer border security system” would be implemented across 14 provinces, 51 districts, and 76 police stations, covering both the eastern and western borders.
The changes should better help prevent illegal activities along the borders, he said, but the overall campaign needed to be evaluated after six months.
Also on January 20, Thai police announced the largest-ever seizure of crystal methamphetamine, totaling approximately 1.65 tonnes. Initial investigations revealed that the drugs were transported from Africa through India, destined for major markets in Europe, the US, or Australia./.
