Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone takes a phone call from Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin. - Vientiane Times/ANN
VIENTIANE: The governments of Laos and Thailand plan to strengthen cooperation in tackling the drug trade along their shared border.
The matter was discussed during a phone call on Wednesday (July 3) between Laos’ Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone and Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.
Prime Minister Srettha specified four points that would strengthen cooperation between the two sides in curbing the drug trade, according to the Royal Thai Government.
Firstly, he suggested organising more frequent joint patrols in high-risk areas.
Secondly, in terms of capacity building, the Thai side is ready to cooperate fully in investigations and increase the number of arrests made.
Third, long-term problem solving is called for by providing alternative income-earning opportunities for drug producers and improving living standards so that people in rural areas are no longer tempted to produce or trade in drugs.
The Thai government has provided financial support to the UNODC Alternative Development Project operating in Huaphan province to enable people to grow coffee instead of opium poppies.
Fourth, closer local cooperation is needed by ensuring that the two countries’ agencies work closely together in provinces and districts that share borders, including security agencies and the armed forces.
Dr Sonexay said he was ready to cooperate with the Thai side in this.
The Lao Prime Minister expressed his pleasure at engaging in the telephone conversation with Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.
He also voiced his appreciation of the friendship and longstanding strong cooperation between the two countries and their continued strengthening through the strategic partnership for growth and sustainable development.
The two prime ministers also discussed ways to further enhance relations between their two countries and reviewed the implementation of recommendations made at their previous meetings.
These meetings covered economic cooperation, integration of the electricity grid under the Laos-Malaysia-Singapore electricity project and cooperation in tackling the drug problem in line with Laos’ national agenda on curbing the drug trade by encouraging closer links between central and local government bodies, increasing the number of joint border patrols, and strengthening the relevant authorities. - Vientiane Times/ANN
