Thai justice minister: prisons must be free of drugs and mobile phones

BANGKOK, September 28 (TNA) – Thailand’s Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya has reiterated that prisons must be free of narcotics and mobile phones. The newly-appointed minister also plans to seek 1,000 more positions of corrections officials so that there will be enough warders to supervise about 300,000 inmates nationwide. General Paiboon laid down his policies to governors of 143 prisons nationwide last Friday, saying in future if a check-up found any banned object in one of the prisons, its governor would be held responsible. General Paiboon also said that he proposed to Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha that prisons needed 1,000 more warders to add to their overall workforce to supervise over 300,000 prisoners nationwide. He also proposed to a pay rise for wards and a renovate plan for prisons to increase their security. Regarding narcotic solutions, the justice minister said that next week he would discuss the integration of narcotic-related budgets with representatives of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Public Health. Asked about the situation on narcotics production in neighboring countries like Lao PDR and Myanmar, General Paiboon said that he provided the prime minister with relevant information so that the latter could pinpoint solutions. He added that Thailand and other ASEAN members would fund sustainable solutions to narcotic problems in the neighboring countries. (TNA)