ONCB launches multi-pronged drug crackdown
Piyanut Tumnukasetchai
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- THE OFFICE of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) yesterday officially launched an anti-drug operation, focusing on 200 villages known for drug issues across the nation.

Earlier, on Saturday, some 98 suspected drug abusers were rounded up from 112 Bangkok communities and 72 of them admitted to a rehabilitation centre.

ONCB chief Permpong Chawalit said although most people were satisfied with the government's drug policy, the problem still persisted in some areas as traffickers defied the law and did not care about the adverse impact their business was having on children, youths and society in general.

So, he said, related agencies had joined forces to tackle this problem and would monitor at-risk areas for the next three months. The operation would include preventive measures and rehabilitation schemes, Permpong said.

In a previous operation, 90 sites in six provinces had been covered, including 20 locations in Bangkok, 35 in Ayutthaya, six in Kalasin, 18 in Phayao, three in Surat Thai and eight in Phattalung. Officials had rounded up 44 drug abusers and arrested 10 suspects and confiscated drugs, weapons and other valuables worth Bt30,000, he said.

ONCB officials also helped seize the assets of traffickers - a task that started on July 1 and will run until September. It had covered 100 sites |so far, with 32 suspects arrested and |33,000 yaba pills and other drugs |worth Bt60 million seized, he said.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/ONCB-launches-multi-pronged-drug-crackdown-30265356.html


-- The Nation 2015-07-28

Another crackdown,they last a few weeks at most,then back

to the status quo,good for photo ops and a page in newspapers.

regards worgeordie

Can't possibly imagine what Thailand' rehabilitation facilities are like.....seems the numbers of increasing drug users nabbed all go there...........!

Can't possibly imagine what Thailand' rehabilitation facilities are like.....seems the numbers of increasing drug users nabbed all go there...........!

The prisons are full since most convictions are for consumption or possession of narcotics. In order to try alleviate the massive overcrowding they are redirecting people to rehab centres.

I don't if it is done under judicial order after the suspect has been arrested or how how it is structured. But It is a move in the right direction to treat addiction via medical means rather than custodial sentencing.

Mind you for the non addicts in the centres, kinda wasting resources, but I'm not sure what else they can do to say punish and try make some change.