Written by DAP NEWS -- Wednesday, 30 September 2009
(Post by CAAI News Media)
Cambodia on Tuesday hosted the 30th meeting of ASEAN senior officials on Drug Matters in Phnom Penh in to help strengthen regional cooperation to fight nacoctics trafficking and contribute to a drug free ASEAN by 2015.
“Through cooperation in information sharing and implementation of controlled delivery method between Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thail- and, and Indonesia, we have destroyed criminal organizations which imports drugs into Southeast Asia,” said General Ke KimYan, chairman of the National Authority of Combating Drugs of Cambodia.
Cambodia has suffered from the transiting of drugs and from drug abuse, especially ATS and methamphetamines, he said, adding that “The current development is that Cambodia is facing with the attempt to use Cambodia to manufacture drugs for exporting to outside markets.”
“We would have fallen into grave danger if our law enforcement had not surprised in time the manufactur- ing locations into grave early 2009.”
Drug crime in Cambodia and outside criminals are “a threat to our society,” he added. “Cambodia has been removed from the first of drug manufacturing countries which is a success for the effort of the Government. The growth of marijuana for drug production has been eliminated. However, there is a new concern about safrole- rich oil which can be used for producing ecstasy for the demand within and outside the country… [and] at the same time, drug injection aids the spread of HIV/AIDS infection and other infection disease among drug users. This presents us a new set of challenges and duties.”
“Drugs are a global issue and no single country can successfully fight against this menace but it requires broad international cooperation in all aspects and strong determination and commitment.”
In 2008 and early 2009, the import and transit of drugs are still a major concern and threats to the security, safety and social order of Cambodia, said Moek Dara, secretary general of the national authority of anti-drug of Cambodia.
“The Golden Triangle area is still considered as a source of heroin and ATS trafficked into Cambodia,” he said, adding that drugs are imported into Cambodia through airports and border gates before being exported onto international markets.
ATS and heroin are the main drugs circulating in Cambodia, he said. Although there is an increasing import of the cocaine into the country, India first imported heroine into Cambodia in 2009.
In 2008, the law enforcement officers suppressed 197 cases, compared to 152 cases in 2007, and arrested 394 criminals compared to 279 persons in 2007, he added. The drugs confiscated included 116,772 methamphetamine pills (down from 390,987 pills in 2007) , 193,305 grams of ICE methamphetamine and 15 more ‘small packages’ with a total of 6750.58 grams, as well as 35 tons of safrole oil.
“In the first semester of 2009, the law enforcement officers suppressed 140 cases, arrested 287 persons and confiscated drugs include pill methamphetamine, ICE drugs, dried marijuana, heroine, drug powers with 73,561 pills, 1, 247,433 grams, and safrol-rich with 304 tons or 11,552 liters,” he said.
This meeting was joined by officials from Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Brunei, Singapore, Phili-ppines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Pakistan, India, China and South Korea. Burma, also known as Myanmar, was absent from the meeting.
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