Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Thai Government Sets Up Command Center for War on Drug

Prime Minister Yinglak Shinawatra presided over the ceremony to launch the operation of a national agenda called National Command Centre for Combating Drugs (NCCD) at the Santi Maitree building in the compound of the Government House on 11 September. Yinglak said poll results from several offices state that the public wanted the government to urgently address drug problems since drug figures have increased rapidly. According to a 2007 statistic, there were then 490,000 drug abusers. The figure has tripled over the past four years. For this reason, the government has made anti-narcotic operation a national agenda as suggested by Her Majesty the Queen. It expects to reduce the prevalence of drug problems in one year. Relevant authorities need to integrate their effort to reduce the prevalence of drug problems by 80 percent.
Antinarcotic Operation
There are six factors in the antinarcotic effort during the Thaksin Shinawatra administration. First, authorities based their operation on areas with drug problems and divided jurisdiction among relevant authorities. Second, relevant authorities had been assigned to share responsibilities. Third, the database of drug traffickers and prospective traffickers and abusers at the district and provincial levels should be synchronized with the government's database. Fourth, it had identified 300,000 drug abusers that could be rehabilitated. Fifth, it set up the protocol for assignment between the government's anti-narcotic center and provincial agencies. And six, it designated clear focal points for each operation. This government will incorporate the poll results with its operation plan, which comprise six components. First, it will empower the people with the concentration on urban communities and villages. This requires cooperation from all sectors.
The government will also incorporate the suggestion of Her Majesty the Queen in its antinarcotic operation. Second, the government will address drug abuse problems by regarding abusers as patients.
Third, it will prevent the spread of drug abuse in vulnerable areas. The government will reduce the number of vulnerable areas from more than 80,000 communities to more than 60,000 communities. Fourth, the crackdown on drug traffickers and influential people will be based on the rule of law. The enforcement of legal measures must be fair for all. Fifth, the government will promote the cooperation with other countries and border authorities in preventing and suppressing the trafficking of narcotic drugs and reactants into the country. And sixth, the government will convince more than 600,000 patients to receive medical treatment.
Set Goals
The Yinglak government has set the following six goals:
First, it will curb narcotic problems and strengthen 60,000 communities to immediately reduce drug demand in the market. Second, the government has set up a national center on anti-narcotic effort, the NCCD, which is the center of the cooperation between relevant ministries, provinces, local administrative organizations and border agencies. Third, it will build up the structure of authorities and responsibilities among relevant officers, including criteria for rewards and punishment. Fourth, the government will base its operation on people in communities and the participation of all sectors. They are expected to regard this issue as an urgent issue. Fifth, the government has asked the Office of Narcotics Control Board to support the NCCD. Sixth, the Finance Ministry and the Bureau of Budget will allocate budgets to authorities at all levels to enable them to work smoothly. This is because the government has truly made its anti-narcotic effort a national agenda.

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