Hanoi (VNA) - The 17th Vietnam–Thailand Bilateral Meeting on Drug Control Cooperation took place on August 14 in Hanoi.
The two sides discussed the situation and outcomes of their coordination in drug prevention and control; shared experience in implementing drug rehabilitation and demand reduction; and made recommendations for cooperation to enhance capacity in combating and preventing crimes, drug forensics, tracing the origins of drugs, and carrying out rehabilitation work in the coming time.
To further promote the positive outcomes of bilateral cooperation, Major General Ngo Thanh Binh, Director of the Drug-Related Crime Investigation Police Department and head of the Vietnamese delegation, proposed both sides continue to make effective use of the hotline, with the core being the international cooperation officers of the department and the Minister Counsellor at the Thai Embassy in Hanoi, to facilitate the prompt exchange and handling of information on drug-related crimes involving the two countries, promptly verify and jointly investigate drug cases.
Binh also suggested coordinating to launch joint investigations into cases involving transnational drug crimes, and considering the establishment of joint task forces comprising officers from both Vietnam and Thailand to conduct joint investigations, interrogations, and timely sharing of information on transnational drug trafficking rings.
This will ensure effective coordination in extended investigations and the collection of relevant evidence to dismantle entire drug crime networks and organisations, particularly those trafficking and transporting drugs from the Golden Triangle area through Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia into Vietnam and other consumer markets, he stressed.
Police Lieutenant General Phanurat Lukboon, Secretary-General of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board and head of the Thai delegation, appreciated the outcomes of this bilateral meeting and expressed his confidence that following this event, cooperation between Vietnam and Thailand will become increasingly effective, meeting practical needs in effectively responding to the complex developments of the current drug situation./.
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