Military cooperation is Thai army chief's reason for visiting Myanmar

Thai army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha. @isnhotnews

With his entourage, Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha,Thailand’s top army leader, left for neighboring Myanmar on Wednesday to seek cooperation on illicit drugs suppression. The state-run MCOT reported that Gen Prayuth told reporters that he will discuss military cooperation and narcotics suppression along the border.

A new campaign against illegal drugs has been launched by the Thai government. It says it will not repeat the mistakes of 2003 when at least 2,300 dealers were killed.

Spokeswoman Thitima Chaisaeng said Tuesday that the new government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra who is Thaksin’s sister will undertake the urgent anti-drug initiative in its first year. Drugs are once again a “severe problem” and the issue must be addressed Thitima said.

Amphetamine-type stimulants are now the primary illicit drug threat, displacing heroin, opium and marijuana, said a United Nations report in Bangkok on Tuesday. According to the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime report, methamphetamine pill seizures in Southeast Asia quadrupled from 32 million in 2008 to 133 million in 2010.

These are affordable, easy to manufacture and highly profitable for criminal groups, says Gary Lewis, UNODC regional representative for East Asia and the Pacific. He said, Crystal methamphetamine is another challenge as it is injected therefore it involves the risk of HIV infection. The foregoing news is sourced from AP.