Prime Minister Hun Sen issued a letter with a six-point directive and a list of requests on the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking 2020 on Friday as anti-drug authorities burnt some 500kg of confiscated drugs.
In the six-page directive, Hun Sen thanked the relevant authorities, NGOs, and people involved in the crackdown on drugs, and its prevention, treatment and education.
He said victims of drugs need treatment, while those involved with trafficking drugs are criminals who must be severely punished under the law.
Drug production and trafficking have recently increased around the world, he said, and called on the authorities to put in more effort to prevent and crack down on traffickers.
He said: “In the context of the dangerous Covid-19 pandemic, the government has increased its effort in combating drugs to prevent the spread of diseases, especially Covid-19, among drug users and the wider community.”
The authorities were told to educate the public to stay away from drugs by teaching them about the negative impacts of drugs and how they contribute to the spread of the Covid-19.
The authorities must increase their activities to achieve “White Village” status, or a village without drugs, he said.
To achieve this status, he said, authorities must comply with the slogan “Three Don’t, One Report”. The slogan means authorities must not involve themselves in trafficking or delivering drugs, collusion, or using drugs.
They must pursue all drug offences, even if they involve family members or friends, Hun Sen said. The authorities must not be loose in law enforcement and all people must report to the authorities any potential drug crimes they suspect are occurring.
He told the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation to speed up the construction of a drug treatment centre in Preah Sihanouk province. He also told anti-drug authorities to improve the quality, effectiveness and attractiveness of drug treatments.
“I appeal to parents and caretakers to pay attention to and educate children to make them grow up healthily and safely. They should [take preventive measures against] Covid-19, and stay away from drugs and other negative social problems,” he said.
National Authority for Combating Drugs (NACD) on Friday burned some 500kg of confiscated drugs at Koh Pich.
The drugs included heroin, methamphetamine, amphetamine, ecstasy, ketamine, nimetazepam, marijuana and other substances, it said.
