The government will request the cooperation of Interpol in the search for an absconded Taiwanese national suspected of renting a house in Phnom Penh’s Sen Sok district to produce drugs, Deputy Prime Minister Sar Kheng said during a meeting with more than 2,000 retired civil servants and disabled veterans in Battambang province on Monday. Photo supplied
Minister of Interior Sar Kheng on Monday said the government will request the cooperation of Interpol in the search for an absconded Taiwanese national suspected of renting a house in Phnom Penh to produce drugs.
Almost 200kg of illicit substances were found at the property in a raid in Sen Sok district’s O’Bek Ka’am commune on Thursday.
He said students from lower secondary school to university level will be required to attend special classes to discourage the use of drugs and their trafficking as the government tackles the growing menace.
Deputy Prime Minister Sar Kheng was speaking at a meeting with more than 2,000 retired civil servants and disabled veterans in Battambang province on Monday.
“Cambodians rented out a house to a Taiwanese man. He produced so many drugs and fled, leaving drug production equipment and almost 50kg of substances for making drugs. The owner of the house became suspicious and called on authorities to search the property, where they found the drugs."
“Now as per the law, the Cambodian courts will ask the courts of the suspect’s home country to issue a warrant for his arrest and the National Police will make a request to Interpol – as we are a member of the organisation – to issue a red alert and arrest him."
“A drug dealer, even though he may go anywhere, cannot escape. This is a crackdown measure,” Sar Kheng said.
The minister of interior continued that young people were the likeliest to take drugs. “We must have special classes on drugs awareness so teenagers know that they are not good.”
He said people aged between 15 and 35 were a significant human resource, one that was valuable to the nation and society.
And if this age bracket were to fall into drug use, society would lose an important resource to develop the Kingdom.
“What can we do to resolve the drugs issue? We prioritise education and the dissemination of information to prevent the trafficking, distribution, sale and use of drugs in society,” Sar Kheng said.
Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport spokesman Ros Soveacha on Monday said the ministry welcomed cooperation with relevant parties in continuing to implement the national policy.
