"Safe Mekong" works well

BANGKOK, August 3 (TNA) - A joint mission between Thailand and neighbouring and allied nations, in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), through the Safe Mekong Coordination Center (Safe Mekong) has led to the successful eradication of 26 cross-border drug networks over the past two years. Thai Justice Minister General Paiboon Koomchaya told journalists of the update on Wednesday, revealing that the 26 removed narcotic networks belonged to a drug syndicate. General Paiboon acknowledged that five drug syndicates, spanning into a total of 60 networks, have been detected in the neighbourhood of the Golden Triangle, where the boundaries of Laos, Myanmar and Thailand connect with each other. "After the eradication of a syndicate, together with its 26 spanning drug networks, the joint anti-narcotics mission has been continued to get rid of the remaining four drug syndicates, together with their 36 networks", General Paiboon stressed. The justice minister noted that one of the four drug syndicates was detected in Thailand, while the rest have their dens trailed in neighbouring countries. The minister expressed his appreciation to "Safe Mekong", whose joint mission has brought about the progress in countering transnational drug trafficking and trade in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS). According to the minister, "Safe Mekong" has been jointly set up by four GMS member countries, including China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand, in cooperation with UNODC and allied nations, namely Australia, Germany, Japan, South Korea and the United States, to prevent and crack down drug production bases and cross-border drug trafficking and trade in the neighbourhood of the Golden Triangle. "UNODC, Australia, Germany, Japan, South Korea and the United States have provided financial and hardware support to "Safe Mekong" in its countering narcotics mission", said the Thai justice minister. (TNA)