Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Opening the event,Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and head of the National Committee on Anti-DrugKe Kim Yan lauded the close coordination among the three countries in fightingcross-border drug trafficking.
As drug production andtrafficking in the region and the globe still remained complicated and showedno signs of decline, he called for stronger cooperation among the threecountries for the success of the fight against drugs in each country.
He suggested participantsdiscuss measures to forge stronger partnership in combating cross-border drug-relatedcrimes and strengthen communications among the community, especially in borderlocalities, as well as ways to increase the treatment and rehabilitation servicesfor drug addicts, reinforce drug control mechanisms and improve cooperationwith other ASEAN countries in the field.
Speaking at the event,Lieutenant General Dong Dai Loc, deputy head of the Police General Department,said that in the first nine months of this year, a large amount of drugs weretrafficked to Vietnam with many new types, including XLR-11 drug, a kind ofdrug soaked in vegetations.
Vietnamese authorities at centraland local levels have worked closely in combating drugs, anti-drugcommunications, detoxification and the management of legal activities involvingdrug precursor, he said.
Loc also noted that theanti-drug partnership among Vietnam,Cambodia and Laos has been strengthened with various jointactivities, adding that Vietnamhas held 15 training courses for 272 officials from Cambodiaand Laos.
However, the wide borderarea shared by the three countries and the limited number of anti-drugofficials have affected the efficiency of anti-drug work, he pointed.
He proposed that authorisedforces of the three countries should continue maintaining and improving theirmeetings in order to share information and seek measures for better cooperationin the fields.
More efforts are needed toconvince locals not to grow poppies, and trade and use drugs, he said,stressing that it is necessary to support the socio-economic development inborder localities, thus improving locals’ income and awareness of safeguarding securityin border areas.
Reports from the threecountries also showed that drug trafficking and use in the region remain complex.
In the first nine months of2016, Cambodia detected 3,500drug trafficking cases, 45 percent higher than the same time last year, while Vietnamdiscovered nearly 11,000 cases, up 28 percent. Laos also reported a rising numberof cases.
Following the openingceremony, Deputy Minister Le Quy Vuong transferred the conference’s Chair to headof the Cambodian delegation Kao Khondara.
Along with tripartitemeetings, ministerial meetings between Vietnamand Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos,and Cambodia and Laos,will also be organised during the two-day conference.
Earlier, Cambodian DeputyPM Ke Kim Yan also had meetings with heads of the Vietnamese and Laodelegations.
They are also scheduled toadopt a joint statement and sign a number of Memorandum of Understanding oncooperation for the following years.
First held in 2001 in Cambodia, the event is held in turn by Vietnam, Laosand Cambodia.-VNA
VNA
