NACD Secretary General Lou Ramin vowed to clean up the narcotics trade at and international drug control convention yesterday in Phnom Penh.
"We have gained victory in rooting out marijuana, but what we are worrying about is the trafficking of synthesized drugs secretly produced in the country," Lou Ramin said. "This is the first successful step in reducing drug trafficking in Cambodia, but [we] are not satisfied with the results as drug trafficking persists."
Lou Ramin said that Cambodia's former reputation as a narcotics Mecca is beginning to change. "We formerly suffered from accusations that our country is both a marijuana producer and a big marijuana exporter," he said, claiming that "marijuana is no longer available in Cambodia."
In 2000, Asean nations made a joint pledge with China to eliminate or drastically reduce narcotics production by 2015, he noted. Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker Yim Sovann disagreed with Lou Ramin's comments. "This is just a report and some reports do not contain facts.
The government has to work harder if it really wants to get rid of illicit drug production by 2015," he said. "Cambodia has now succeeded in eliminating marijuana, but we still face [problems with] methamphetamine, ecstasy and 'ice'."
Yim Sovann said narcotics are being illegally produced by criminals and shipped around the world. Stressing that narcotics is a "crossborder crime," he said Cambodia would be unable to combat the industry alone.
"Countries in the region are able to reduce or eliminate drug problems because their laws are respected," Yim Sovann said. "If we want to eliminate the issue by 2015, we will have to work harder and bring in a year-by-year reduction in drug production and trafficking. How is he issue going to be solved if it is expanding and worsening?"
This article first appeared in The Mekong Times
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