Regional meeting discusses drug matters

BANGKOK – Lieutenant General Pham Huy Ngo, Deputy Minister of Public Security joined other 100 delegates from 10 ASEAN members countries to attend the Special ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on dug matters, which took place on August 31 in Bangkok.

Participants at the meeting expressed their concern over the threats of illegal drug use, producing and trafficking in the region. They agreed to apply measures to eradicate drug abuse in the community by 2015.

Key solutions discussed during the meeting included giving priorities to drug prevention, stepping up narcotic precursor control, reducing demand for drug through education programmes and cutting supply through law enforcement.

They also agreed to strengthen the effectiveness of the cooperation in the association, while calling on ASEAN member countries to expand coordination programmes in investigation on trans-national drug crimes.

Speaking at the meeting, Major-General Do Kim Tuyen, deputy head of the General Department of Crime Prevention and Control, affirmed that Vietnam pledges to continue to step up comprehensive measures in implementing ASEAN's plan on fighting drug production, abuse and trafficking for 2009-2015 period.

He said Viet Nam will also promote cooperation with other ASEAN member countries and the association's partners to fulfil targets set in the process of the building of a drug-free ASEAN Community in 2015.

The organisation of the meeting, initiated by Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, was approved by leaders of ASEAN member countries at the 20 th ASEAN Senior Official Meeting in Phnom Penh in April. - VNA