Thai PM told police to quickly solve narcotic problems

BANGKOK, March 18 (TNA) - Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, in her capacity as the chair of the Royal Thai Police board, has instructed police to quickly solve narcotic problems in the country, especially in the southern region. Yingluck made the instruction at a meeting of the Royal Thai Police board and a meeting of high-ranking police officers held at the Royal Thai Police headquarters in Bangkok on Monday. Yingluck then offered her condolences for the death of police officers in Thailand's violence-plagued far South and gave her morale support to police in general. On the same occasion, she asked police to perform their duties professionally, promising full support from her government in terms of personnel, equipment and technology. The prime minister also asked police to strictly enforce laws against human trafficking, acknowledging that her administration will integrate social work facilities under 22 governmental organizations to help abused children, women, the elderly and the underprivileged, and that the integrated social assistance centers will be launched next month. The prime minister ordered concerned authorities to also suppress wildlife trafficking, especially the killing of elephants, pledging legal amendments to stop the illicit trade of ivory. Besides, the prime minister urged police to ensure safety for international tourists, recommending that more surveillance cameras be intalled to boost the tourists’ confidence and Thai police in border provinces work closely with border authorities of neighboring countries in the lead-up to the ASEAN Community (AC), set to be formed by 2015. (TNA)