More intensified actions against drugs set by Thai government in 2019

BANGKOK, December 28 (TNA) - The Thai government, through a subcommittee in charge of addressing drug problems, has announced its more intensified actions against narcotics next year after its proclaimed success in the drug prevention and suppression this year. Thai Deputy Defence Minister General Chaicharn Changmongkol, in his capacity as the chairman of the government's subcommittee, told journalists on December 27 that his subcommittee will continue following up drug prevention and suppression plans worked out by the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), under the Thai Ministry of Justice, though with more serious actions. General Chaicharn explained that his subcommittee's actions against narcotics in 2019 will be focused on reducing the domestic demand side of drugs, covering the crackdown of about 62,000 targeted drug cases and the arrest of their major drug traders behind and the reduction of drug-affected areas at the local community and village-level, as well as at local schools and business firms. Besides, the standard treatment will be applied to local drug addicts, targeted at about 217,550 totally next year. The deputy defence minister acknowledged that the more intensified actions against drugs followed this year's successful moves, particularly during the past two months when drug crackdowns exceeded 73,000 cases with over 76,000 suspects arrested for prosecution and a large amount of drugs seized, including over 179 million pills of methamphetamine, over 3,400 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine (ice), over 2,100 kilograms of marijuana and nearly 300 kilograms of heroine, while up to 157-million baht-drug related assets were confiscated to the state. According to anti-drug authorities, more than 152 million pills of drugs were successfully stopped before being smuggled across the border into Thailand just over the past two months, while overall drugs seized during the past two moths were higher than the total amount of drugs seized in a six-month period last year. (TNA)