The
32nd Meeting of Asean Senior Officials on Drug Matters (ASOD) opened yesterday
in Vientiane, with the aim of boosting cooperation to combat drug related
issues in the Asean region.
The Lao government considers this meeting as a
landmark in relation to drug related issues, as it comes at a time when many
countries are urgently increasing their efforts to deal with the cultivation
and trafficking of illicit drugs.
"I am very glad to make an inaugural
address in this 32nd meeting of ASOD which Laos has the honour of
hosting," said the Chairman of the Lao National Commission for Drug
Control and Supervision Soubanh Srithirath.
The meeting will provide officials from the
Asean region with an opportunity to assess their achievements, strengths,
weakness and shortcomings. They will also look at the lessons learnt from the
implementation of the ASOD Action Plan so far, which was approved at previous
meetings.
Soubanh said the cultivation, manufacture and
trafficking of illegal drugs is a growing problem throughout the region. To
cope with this dangerous trend, the Lao government has a strong commitment to
addressing the problem of illicit drugs as a national priority. To this end, it
has approved the National Drug Control Master Plan 2009-2013.
He said the issue calls for a comprehensive
national approach including strong international cooperation efforts. Opium
poppy cultivation in Laos has increased in recent years, mainly because rural
communities are still struggling to maintain a sufficient supply of food, and
poverty is forcing them to turn to illicit activities to provide for their
families.
Furthermore, there is the threat posed by
transnational organised crime which, if allowed to go unchecked, will lead to
widespread social problems including the suffering which comes with drug abuse,
and the violence and crime that follows. Drug trafficking is a major threat to
development, security and peace in the countries of the region.
"We must join hands in fighting the
illicit drugs by providing strong political leadership, harmonised and
coordinated efforts and sustained and sufficient financial support,"
Soubanh said.
"As we all are well aware, the plan of
action in pursuit of a drug-free Asean by 2015 was adopted by the Accord Asean
and China Cooperative Operations in Response to Dangerous Drugs in Bangkok,
Thailand, in 2000."
Since then, many countries in the region have
made a tremendous effort to diminish the flow of illicit drugs, he said.
In 2006, Laos and Myanmar in particular were
able to substantially reduce the areas of illicit opium poppy cultivation to
their lowest levels in a long time, and were accountable to the international
community.
In Laos, the number of opium addicts dropped
from 26,000 people to less than 7,000 people. "Since 2007, we have seen a
reversal of these successes, with the area under opium poppy cultivation
doubling from 1,500 hectares to 3,000 hectares in 2010," he said.
In 2007, Lao officials confiscated 17kg of
heroin, followed by 84kg in 2010. In 2007 1.2 million methamphetamine tablets
were intercepted, and that number skyrocketed to more than 24.5 million tablets
in 2010.The demand for drugs in regional and local markets is increasing
parallel to the flow of new synthetic drugs, driving the relationship between
cause and effect.
"Our current meeting is, therefore,
another shared effort to consider and review various issues related to drug
control and cooperation between our countries. In this regard, our deliberation
should focus on exchanging views on how to ensure that all commitments and
goals of ASOD can be brought to fruition," Soubanh said.
Khonesavanh Latsaphao
Vientiane Times
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