In order to combat drug trafficking in the Mekong subregion, the newly established International Narcotics Control College ( INCC) in Chiang Rai aims to train law enforcement officers and partner organizations.
The & nbsp; The Hall of Opium mixture, also known as Thailand’s opium exhibition, is home to the first school of its kind in the Mekong region, located in Chiang Saen.
The Office of Narcotics Control Board ( ONCB ) of Thailand and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime ( UNODC ) recently launched it.
” Training opportunity.”
The school will provide the ONCB and its partners with a good opportunity to offer cutting-edge programs to address medicine problems, according to Jeremy Douglas, the UNODC Regional Representative for Southeast Asia and Pacific, who spoke with the Bangkok Post.
He stated that” we are considering offering courses at the INCC in drug intelligence and research, border control, herald chemical power, as well as drug plan and demand decrease.”
Others may involve shared training with authorities from Laos and other nations, while some will get for Thai agencies. “”
He stated that in addition to the INCC, the ONCB’s Safe Mekong Coordination Center ( SMCC) in Chiang Saen will continue to keep an eye on drug trafficking in the nations of the Golden Triangle and the MEKONG subregion.
Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand make up the Golden Triangle, a significant opium-producing region in Southeast Asia.
According to Mr. Douglas, the UNODC may offer new intelligence technology and training as well as support for SMCC tasks like drug analysis.
He added that it is significant and never lost on us that the INCC and SMCC are located together in the Golden Triangle just a kilometer from Myanmar and Laos’ edges.
Even though it is a little far away, it’s still in some ways the ideal location. “”
In order to address the region’s drug issues and cross-border crime, local determination is essential, he said.
The six Mekong subregion nations of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, and China recently came to an agreement on new legislation enforcement approaches at meetings like the most new MoU on Drug Control in Beijing, which he highlighted.
He claimed that although Asean countries had recently gathered to discuss anti-drug procedures, it was still difficult for them to take into account information about the underlying causes and conditions and approach circumstances strategically.
He claimed that for many people, relationship with Myanmar is constrained and socially challenging. Separate groups in the nation’s Shan state are deeply involved but are not part of the conversation, he continued, noting that the drug problem is concentrated there.
Given the situation in Shan and border regions, there is actual necessity, he said. Sincerely, the situation’s flight is not favorable. “”
In addition to working with another Mekong nations and the UNODC, Myanmar’s neighbors, including China and Thailand, are coordinating, but knowledge sharing and level of cooperation must be more important if actual development is to be made, he said.
INCC in particular
The Mae Fah Luang Foundation, which is in charge of the Hall of Opium, donated some property to the ONCB, according to Ichai Chaimongkhon, the organization’s secretary-general, who told the Bangkok Post that INCC was founded.
The ONCB had the idea to establish a global anti-drugs establishment for residents of the subregion, which eventually led to the INCC.
According to Mr. Wichai, the programme will primarily focus on teaching investigation, avoidance, and suppression concepts. He added that the school serves as a study hub in the area.
To assist provide first-hand experience on how to combat drug trafficking on land and in water, the university itself is situated in a bush close to the Mekong River.
Thailand is located in the Mekong subregion’s center. Therefore, according to Mr. Wichai, it is a convenient location for people from the region to join.
He claimed that the ONCB’s Drug Prevention and Suppression Fund has provided funding for the INCC, which will now have a shooting gallery, mock crime scenes, conference and learning resources, and housing for employees.
He claimed that the prosecutor had seized funds from drug traffickers from some of the budgets under this account.
” We use this money to construct this structure and improve the capabilities of our officials and local partners.”
He added,” We are also attempting to pass laws allowing the planting of opium in this center primarily for research.”
The UNODC, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia even support the center.
Despite the college’s current openness, according to Mr. Wichai, the start was only the beginning of the development because some facilities, including the conference room, shooting range, and medication research center, are still under construction.
By the following year, the center is anticipated to get finished.
In particular during this time when drug offences are becoming highly digitized and complex, he said,” We hope this education center will strengthen crime-solving powers in the Mekong region.”
He claimed that medicine traffickers” constantly find new ways and use technology to bring drugs.”
” In order to be able to deal with drug acts in the area, we need to enhance our power. “”