Thailand joins forces with regional allies against drugs

BANGKOK, September 22 (TNA) - Thailand will proceed with "Save the Mekong" plan by expanding anti-drug cooperation with six allied nations in the region. Thai Justice Minister General Paiboon Khumchaya told journalists on Tuesday that he is scheduled to visit China from September 22-25, 2015 to hold a meeting with Chinese authorities in Yunnan Province to jointly lay out anti-drug moves under "Save the Mekong" plan, in which other countries located around the regional drug-hub "Golden Triangle", including Lao PDR, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam, were also invited to participate. During the four-day meeting, General Paiboon said, the six participating countries, which are members of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), would also inspect drug trafficking routes, from China to Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, as part of their entirely-joint planning against drugs. Besides, the Thai minister noted, the six GMS member countries would jointly set up checkpoints against drugs inside and outside each country, while "Save the Mekong" plan would be extended to three years, instead of the 3-6 month-short term one, in order to strengthen joint operations and efficiency against narcotics in 2016 in areas along the border, covering border communities. (TNA)