Thailand-Cambodia strengthening cooperation to suppress West-African drug syndicates.
News / View / ASEAN Information
Monday 26th of December 2016
Thailand-Cambodia strengthening cooperation to suppress West-African drug syndicates.
On 25 December 2016 at 10.00 hrs. Mr. Sirinya Sitdhichai, Secretary-General, NCB, presided over the closing ceremony and awarded certificates of course completion to 24 participants of the Training Course on West African Syndicate Suppression for Thailand-Combodia at the Palazzo Hotel, Bangkok. The Cambodia delegation was led by Pol.Brig.Gen. Heng Chandara, Deputy Secretary-General, NACD.
Mr. Sirinya Sitdhichai, Secretary-General, NCB remarked that for quite a few years, West African syndicates had been detected trafficking drugs through Cambodia, Thailand and other ASEAN Member States. Hence, the ONCB organized this training course from 19-25 December 2015 with the objectives to enhance the investigation skills on West African syndicates suppression, to increase the efficiency of Cambodia and Thai narcotics law enforcement officers and to promote closer cooperation between Cambodia and Thai law enforcement officers in detecting, intercepting and suppressing the transnational drug syndicates in Cambodia and Thailand.
Twenty-four officers participated in the training course, 20 of which are Cambodian officers and the other 4 are ONCB officers. The Cambodian officers were from different agencies namely the National Authority for Combating Drugs (NACD), The Commissariat General of National Police, the General Department of Immigration, the Royal Gendarmerie of Cambodia, and the General Department of Customs and Excise.
The training course is composed of both theories and practices in person/ premise/ vehicle search, and investigation in airport area. As follows:
1. Foreign drug trafficking syndicates in Pattaya
2. Drug Situation in Asia
3. West African Syndicates Interdiction and International Coordination
4. Person/ premise/ vehicle search
5. Investigation in airport area
6. Baggage search/ observation of persons in airport area
In addition, the trainees had study visits at the ONCB Suvarnabhumi International Airport office and the Royal Thai Customs Laem Chabang office, where many veteran officers from the Royal Thai Customs, the Narcotics Suppression Bureau and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board were invited to share their experiences. Mr. Sirinya Sitdhichai further remarked that this training would support law enforcement activities under the Three-Year-Plan of Safe Mekong Operation among 6 countries (2016-2018), which are China, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand.
The Secretary-General hoped to see more cooperation between Thailand and Cambodia in the lower Mekong area under the Safe Mekong Operation. Furthermore, the training is one of the steps following the signing of the MOU between the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand and the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia on the Cooperation in Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and Precursor Chemicals Control on 6 May 1998. Thailand and Cambodia have been cooperating in drugs control in many ways and through both bilateral and multilateral cooperation. Recently, Cambodia was the host of the 10th Bilateral Meeting between Thailand and Cambodia on Narcotics Law Enforcement Cooperation on 23-25 July 2016, at Siem Reap, Cambodia. The ONCB and the NACD had discussed on narcotics law enforcement cooperation, drug interdiction in border area, drug rehabilitation, narcotics analysis and exchanging of the information. The training course on West African Syndicate Suppression for Thailand-Cambodia was an outcome of the discussion between Mr. Sirinya Sitdhichai, Secretary-General, NCB and Pol.Gen. MeasVyrith, Secretary-General, NACD at the time of the meeting.
