A conference of ASEAN Senior Officials on Drug Matters (ASOD) has adopted an action plan, initiated by Vietnam with an aim of achieving a drug free ASEAN by 2015.

An action-oriented “ASEAN Work Plan on Combating Illicit Drug Production, Trafficking and Use (2009-2015)” was agreed to by more than 100 ASEAN senior officials and dialogue partners during their 30 th meeting held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from Sept. 29-Oct. 2.

The work plan consists of three parts, with details on activities to fight illicit drug production, trafficking and use in the 2009-2015 period. It is compiled and presented by Vietnam .

Addressing the meeting, Vietnam chief delegate Hoang Anh Tuyen, who is deputy head of drug control office, stressed that the plan is a strong commitment of ASEAN members in the fight against drugs and creates a basis for cooperation among ASEAN members and cooperation with their dialogue partners.

The ASOD is an annual meeting and a forum for member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to discuss drug crime prevention as well as implement recommendations and projects passed at the previous meeting.

This year’s ASOD meeting saw representatives from drug control agencies of nine ASEAN member countries, except for Myanmar, and the dialogue partners of India, Pakistan, Japan and the Republic of Korea .

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam./.