Coordinate Anti-Drugs Campaigns, PM To Tell Six Ministries

[Lite Beer]

Coordinate anti-drugs campaigns, PM to tell six ministries

By The Nation on Sunday

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra will today chair a meeting to get six ministries to join forces in systematically fighting against illegal drugs.

The six ministries are Interior, Justice, Defence, Health, Labour and Foreign.

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung said yesterday that Yingluck had endorsed him to head an anti-drug committee. The PM has called a meeting today to discuss the seven-point action plan to curb the drug trade. As part of the plan, Thailand will send anti-drugs officials to go to Burma, from where it believes illegal drugs are smuggled into the country. Thai authorities will seek cooperation with their counterparts to suppress drug smuggling on the Thai-Burmese borders, Chalerm said.

The deputy PM also said Thai authorities believed that most of the illegal drugs were produced by the ethnic minority Wa. So to get this minority group to stop growing poppies and produce narcotics, Thai businessmen will be encouraged to rent plots of land and invest in other agriculture projects and then hire Wa people to work on the farms so that they stop growing poppies. Border checkpoints will be increased along the Thai-Burmese border to curb drug smuggling.

To solve over-crowding jail conditions and prevent drug convicts going back to drug trading after being released, prisoners will be encouraged to undergo occupational training in the final year of their jail terms, Chalerm said.

-- The Nation 2011-09-11

[Lite Beer]

Crackdown to focus on borders in North

By Jessada Chantararak

Monthien Inthaket

The Nation on Sunday

Police are beefing up measures to tackle drug problems in the country.

Acting national police chief Pol General Priewpan Damapong said yesterday he would target stopping smuggling via the country's borders within three to four months

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Pol Lt-General Jakthip Chaijinda said he had also instructed 1,500 officers to inspect 59 places, including night entertainment venues, in a bid to solve drug problems.

He had a meeting with 18 special teams of police yesterday. Their mission is to suppress and block drug smuggling through borders in the northern provinces of Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son.

Jakthip said the meeting was part of the drug-suppression policy and measures issued by Deputy PM Chalerm Yoobamrung to solve the drug problem.

Priewpan said he believed being able to block smuggling from the North would help police in the central area suppress drugs more easily.

He said the Royal Thai Police would grant financial support to buy weapons and other things necessary for them. Border patrol police would also give a hand blocking drug smuggling. Meanwhile, in the Central region where ya ba production machines have been found, Priewpan said, he would let provincial police raid 'suspicious' places and arrest producers.

In Bangkok, Jakthip said police would inspect night entertainment venues every Friday and Saturday night, when they were the most crowded as drug or other illegal stuff was often brought into venues at such times.

Jakthip and his subordinates yesterday inspected a pub on Thong Lor Road but found neither drugs nor drug users.

Police from Chokchai station also inspected restaurants and entertainment venues in its jurisdiction, but did not find anything illegal.

Jakthip said police would strictly inspect the night-time venues and urged entrepreneurs to follow the law.

-- The Nation 2011-09-11

[Buchholz]

Crackdown to focus on borders in North

Police are beefing up measures to tackle drug problems in the country.

Acting national police chief Pol General Priewpan Damapong said yesterday he would target

Thaksin's former brother-in-law Priewpan's first shot at a Drug War didn't turn out so well, particularly in the referenced "North".

Let's hope his "target" is clearer this time.

This will be Priewpan's second go-round with a Drug War.

By The Nation

Published on August 11, 2009

Priewpan was a low-key police officer until his brother-in-law Thaksin came to power in 2001. Just before the Thaksin government declared a "war on drugs", the then prime minister handpicked his brother-in-law to head the Narcotics Suppression Bureau. In the police corridors, that meant that Priewpan was being groomed for the position of national police chief, as part of Thaksin's alleged plan to consolidate power through domination of the police service.

And although Priewpan brought some sort of embarrassment to the government with his botched operation to arrest a northern drug kingpin, who subsequently won an acquittal, he received Thaksin's blessing to bypass all senior police commissioners to get to the position of assistant national police chief.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/Priewpan-s-tears-take-nepotism-to-new-levels-30109521.html

Edited September 11, 2011 by Buchholz

[Lite Beer]

Pol. Gen. Priewpan Damapong vows to stem drug influx

BANGKOK, 11 September 2011 (NNT)- The acting national police chief has expressed his readiness to stop the influx of drug into the country within three months.

Acting national police chief Pol. Gen. Priewpan Damapong revealed that he had discussed the new policy and operation plans with the 18 ad hoc anti-narcotic units which will be supervised by Pol. Gen. Pongsapat Pongcharoen, adviser to the Royal Thai Police.

The campaign will give close attention to border provinces in the north, particularly Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son due to their mountainous terrains.

Pol. Gen. Priewpan is scheduled to travel to the North today to discuss the issue with authorities there.

Meanwhile, Bangkok MP and Pheu Thai’s Deputy Spokesperson Jirayut Huangsap said Pheu Thai MP’s would keep a close watch on their constituencies to help solve the problems and would urge MP’s of the coalition parties to cooperate in the move.

-- NNT 2011-09-11

[chainarong]

Coordinate ,now i'd like to see that, what croc sh!!!t.

[OzMick]

"...Priewpan said, he would let provincial police raid 'suspicious' places and arrest producers." Previously, this was not allowed?

Is their a Thai version of Internal Affairs, police who police police? If not, why not?

[looping]

Shame the govt don't go at this from a social perspective; understanding why people take drugs, funding social projects to help 'at risk' people eg teenagers, educating people about the use and abuse of drugs, helping people who have become addicted to drugs, dealing with the demand, not the supply. What they hope to achieve apart from driving the whole thing underground and driving the prices up, I can't imagine. Maybe that's their goal, who knows?

I wonder if the Education Ministry was even considered as a possibility to help with this issue... I expect Chalerm would have difficulty drawing a link between drugs and education, the mere fact that he's in charge of this operation spells disaster.

Talk about deja vu... Wonder what they've got in store for the South... Maybe Chalerm can handle that one too

[Buchholz]

Get the body bags ready.

.

[Lite Beer]

Yingluck declares 6 war-on-drugs stratagems

BANGKOK, 11 September 2011 (NNT)- Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra presided over the national ‘War on Drugs’ agenda at the government house, addressing Deputy MP, Minister of Defense, Minister of Interior, Minister of Public Health, the Commander in Chief of the Thai Army and Acting Chief of Police as well as other related divisions.

Before the address, the Prime Minister had witnessed the confiscated assets, drugs and other seized property and spoke about those in drug related therapy and the vision of the ‘War on Drugs’ national agenda.

Her address had pointed out the core problems of drugs and referred to them as a national issue. She added that in order to tackle such calamity, all factions should join hands and pitch in to help. The government sector will attempt to eliminate all transnational drug issues and to provide treatment the 400,000 drug addicts as well as eradicating drug sales. The national agenda involves 6 objectives including reducing drug related problems, reducing the number of drug addicts, preventing any re-users, reducing provincial drug exposures and risk, minimizing drug abuse along the border as well as integrating resistance towards drugs.

Furthermore, Ms. Yingluck stressed that full measures would be undertaken for this national agenda and not any sole institution be held responsible. She later thanked fellow citizens and involved officials for their collaboration.

-- NNT 2011-09-11

[OzMick]

"...... the Prime Minister had witnessed the confiscated assets............"

Enough to get any Shinawatra fired up.

[elgato]

Get the body bags ready.

.

They decompose quicker without bags.