ROI ET TO BECOME ROLE MODEL FOR DRUG-FREE PROVINCE IN THAILAND - SRETTHA

BANGKOK, July 2 (Bernama) -- Thailand Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin aims to make Roi Et, a province located at the central Northeastern of the Kingdom, a drug-free zone, by the end of September.

Srettha said the drug problem is one of the government's urgent and crucial policies and he has held several follow-up meetings with the relevant agencies and has already issued multiple directives.

He said the governor will be in charge of the role model project, which is in line with the government’s urgent policy to suppress drugs.

"In the past week, myself and several ministers have travelled to the northern and northeastern provinces. We will be using Roi Et province as a model for addressing the drug problem and aim to make it a drug-free province by the end of September," he told reporters after chairing a mobile Cabinet meeting in Nakhon Ratchasima, near here Tuesday.

He said the governor needs to work jointly with other government agencies in the province to carry out massive “X-ray” operations to check for possible drug abusers and pushers in the Northeast.

"Those caught abusing drugs must be forced into rehabilitation, while traffickers must be arrested and brought to justice", the PM added.

He said the government believes plenty of drug abusers will be caught in the massive crackdowns and the Interior, Public Health and Defence ministries will work together to build enough rehab facilities for drug abusers in Roi Et.

Srettha also urged the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) to set a challenging targets and indicators, as well as appropriate measures for each province on suppressing drugs.

The provincial governors and provincial police commanders should work closely together to achieve these goals, he added.

Meanwhile, Srettha also announced that the Cabinet has approved 7.6 billion Baht for areas in Northeast which are facing persistent problems of flooding and drought, causing significant hardship to the lives and property of the people.

"The Office of National Water Resources and the Royal Irrigation Department is urged to expedite the consideration of projects based on suitability, taking into account the nature of the problems, urgency, and the specific conditions of the affected areas," he said.

He also requested that the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation work together with the Royal Irrigation Department to prepare contingency plans and strategies to mitigate the impacts of flooding and drought, aiming to reduce the suffering of the people to the greatest extent possible.

It was reported by Thailand local media that more than 740 households, 1,468 people and a few flights was affected by flood yesterday after non-stop rain since last Saturday.

-- BERNAMA
TAGS: Srettha Thavisin, ONCB, drug-free province, Roi Et, Cabinet.