Govt war on drugs hailed a success

The government's war on drugs has been hailed as a remarkable success thanks to a significant increase in drug gangs busted, drugs seized, and drug addicts rehabilitated.

Somchai: Govt on the right track

And the key to success, the Royal Thai Police and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) say, is the government's clear policy which has made it easier for law enforcement authorities to take action.

Deputy National Police Chief Pol Gen Adul Saengsingkaew said he was satisfied with the outcome of the anti-drugs policy implementation in the past year, given the increased the number of drug suspects arrested and addicts rehabilitated.

"Regarding these statistics, the war on drugs now is going much better than it was under the previous government. Actually, it is even better than under the Thaksin Shinawatra administration which initiated this policy in 2001," said Pol Gen Adul, who also serves as acting secretary-general of the ONCB.

Since Sept 11 last year, when the Yingluck Shinawatra government kicked off its version of the war on drugs, about 340,000 drug cases have been prosecuted, nearly 8% more than in the same period the year before.

More than 330,000 suspects have been arrested, a 14% increase in a year-on-year comparison, and as many as 65.5 million methamphetamine pills have been seized in total, a 26% increase from the year before.

"More importantly, this government has put an emphasis on cutting the number of drug addicts by stepping up rehabilitation, to curb demand for the drugs," said Pol Gen Adul.

Over the past year, more than 450,000 addicts have entered rehabilitation programmes, compared to about 300,000 during Thaksin's war on drugs.

Thailand has more than 1,200 drug rehab centres in about 900 districts throughout the country, Permpong Chaovalit, deputy secretary-general of the ONCB, said.

More:
Govt war on drugs hailed a success