Security Committee raises diplomatic measures

Parliament, The Security Committee resolved to consider upgrading diplomatic measures and wrote a letter to the Royal Thai Army Headquarters and the National Security Council Office to solve the drug and transnational crime problem. Mr. Piyarat Chongthep, Bangkok MP, Move Forward Party, as spokesman of the House Committee on State Security, Thai Border Affairs, National Strategy and National Reform, announced the results of the House Committee on State Security's meeting that the results of the consideration of the problems and solutions to the influx of drugs along the Thai border resulting from the conflict in Myanmar invited representatives from relevant agencies to provide information to the committee as follows: 1. Minister of Foreign Affairs (Mr. Rungrak Chanprasert, Senior Expert Diplomat) 2. Minister of Justice, assigned to the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (Mr. Chotiphan Chulpech, Expert Investigator) 3. Ministry of Interior (Mr. Somchai Lertprasitphan, Deputy Director-General of the Depar tment of Provincial Administration) 4. Royal Thai Army Headquarters (Major General Kittipong Chueachaichan, Deputy Commander of the Third Army) 5. Internal Security Operations Command (Major General Chakaj Khanti, Deputy Director of Operations Center 2, ISOC) 6. Border Patrol Police Headquarters (Pol. Maj. Gen. Kittisak Chamrasprasit, Deputy Commander of the Border Patrol Police) 7. Representative of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, Department of Justice, United States (Mr. Nicholas J. Willis) The committee acknowledged the problem of the increasing volume of drugs passing through the border, especially after the coup in Myanmar. The security agencies, together with the Ministry of Interior, have consistently explained the situation of the increasing volume of drugs. They have taken measures to patrol the border, set up checkpoints, investigate and arrest, and continuously promote security in border villages. They also mentioned the challenges caused by the change in the routes of the smuggling ne twork, which increasingly uses routes along the Mekong River. They requested support in technology to intercept and arrest drugs. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made efforts to promote cooperation with both the countries of origin, including the governments of Myanmar and Laos, as well as Australia and the United States, to carry out joint operations along the border. It has also emphasized the importance of drug trafficking as an important channel for funding the purchase of weapons by violent groups in Myanmar. The Drug Enforcement Administration of the U.S. Department of Justice reported that drugs produced in Myanmar are currently the most popular drugs in the world. In addition, there is a production network that is one of the largest in the world, using Thailand as a transit point to destinations around the world. They proposed that the Thai government enact laws to control chemicals that can be used as precursors to produce drugs, increasing strictness and reducing production capacity. The comm ittee expressed concern about the expansion of the influence of drug networks in neighboring countries, with only preventive measures as the main principle, unable to take proactive steps to solve the problem. The National Security Committee therefore resolved and made the following comments: 1. Request that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs consider upgrading diplomatic measures to build cooperation with the Chinese government in solving drug problems and transnational crime networks in Myanmar. 2. The committee will write to the Royal Thai Army Headquarters and the National Security Council Office to request information related to drug production sources along the Thai border and neighboring countries for the committee's consideration. Source: Thai News Agency