Secretary-General, NCB Thailand announced the result of the 37th Meeting of ASEAN Senior Officials on Drug Matters and the launching of ASEAN Drug Monitoring Report 2015

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Thursday 25th of August 2016

Secretary-General, NCB Thailand announced the result of the 37th Meeting of ASEAN Senior Officials on Drug Matters and the launching of ASEAN Drug Monitoring Report 2015

                August 26, 2016, Mr.Sirinya Sidthichai, Secretary – General of the Narcotics Control Board of Thailand, announced the results from the 37th Meeting of ASEAN Senior Officials on Drug Matters or ASOD. Also presented at the press conference were heads of delegations from other nine ASEAN Member States. ASEAN Member States alphabetically take turn in hosting this annual meeting and this year the Office of the Narcotics Control Board of Thailand hosted the 37th ASOD meeting from 24 – 26 August 2016 at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel in Bangkok. This annual meeting is a symbol of ASEAN strong determination in combating illicit drugs and to reaffirm ASEAN standpoint that ‘narcotic drugs are illegal’. In addition of regular agendas such as sharing reports on drug situation and drug abuse prevention and control activities in each member country, the 37th ASOD meeting also discussed some other important agendas as followings; *The ASEAN Work Plan on Securing Communities against Illicit Drugs 2016 – 2025. This is ASEAN second work plan against illicit drugs to pursue the goal of the ASOD Work Plan on Combating Illicit Drug Production, Trafficking and Use 2009 – 2015. The ASEAN Work Plan on Securing Communities against Illicit Drugs 2016 – 2025 sets guidelines for national and regional activities ranging from preventive education, law enforcement, treatment and rehabilitation, research and development, alternative development, to extra-regional cooperation. The Work Plan is divided into 7 sections with 25 components. The 37th ASOD meeting approved the ASEAN Work Plan on Securing Communities against Illicit Drugs 2016 – 2025 and will be submitted to the 5th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Drug Matters (AMMD) commencing in October 2016 in Singapore for consideration and endorsement. *Initiatives and project proposals. The Meeting were informed of several initiatives in narcotics control in member countries such as airports and seaports interdiction, assets forfeiture in drugs trafficking and production cases, prevention programs, new approaches in rehabilitation and aftercare, and ASEAN Drug Monitoring Network, strategic cooperation to tackle the illicit drugs production in the Golden Triangle area, etc. *ASEAN collaboration to protect the region from illicit drugs is strengthening through various types of networking. In addition to cooperation and joint law enforcement operations, ASEAN is moving ahead hand in hand by sharing data, research findings, as well as prevention and treatment models. ASEAN will put more efforts in solving illicit drugs production and trafficking through a network on precursor chemicals control. The Meeting also agreed on joint training in law enforcement, scientific detection, alternative development, prevention and treatment. The result and recommendations from this meeting will be reported to the 5th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Drug Matters (AMMD) in October this year in Singapore. The press conference on the result of the 37th Meeting of ASEAN Senior Officials on Drug Matters was followed by the launching of ASEAN Drug Monitoring Report 2015. Miss Rachanikorn Sarasiri, Director of ASEAN-NARCO briefed on the ASEAN Drug Monitoring Network that this is a project under ASEAN-NARCO framework. ASEAN Drug Monitoring Network or ADMN is a forum where all ASEAN Member States voluntarily share data and information on drug situation in each country on a biennially basis. A set of questionnaire has been developed to help member countries collect comparable data. ONCB Thailand is a coordinator for this project with technical support from Thailand Substance Abuse Academic Network. This ASEAN Drug Monitoring Report 2015 is the first product of ADMN. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Manop Kanato, summarized that the report is in its final drafting stage. Some member countries still wanted to provide the most updated data. Therefore, the official report will be publicized by the end of September and will be distributed at the 5th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Drug Matters in October this year in Singapore. The report comprises of 5 chapters. Chapter 1 presents an overview of ASEAN drug trends and patterns. Chapter 2 presents a self situation report by each member state. Chapter 3 presents an analysis of major drugs problem in ASEAN while Chapter 4 presents research knowledge and innovation in drug abuse prevention and control in each country. Chapter 5 is about changes in policy and outstanding implementation programs in each country. When the report is finalized and approved by all ASEAN Member States, it will be published and also uploaded on ASEAN-NARCO website accessible at https//aseannarco.oncb.go.th Mr.Sirinya Sidthichai, Secretary – General of the Narcotics Control Board of Thailand concluded that ASEAN Drug Monitoring Report is another substantial evidence of ASEAN collaboration and coherent in our attempt to handle the menace of drug problem in the region and we will support each other to overcome the problem in an ASEAN spirit.