Cambodia presses Asean for anti-drug cooperation

Phnom Penh (dpa) - A senior Cambodian official said Wednesday that methamphetamines were an increasingly serious regional problem and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations should fight them together.

Lou Ramin, secretary general of the National Authority for Combating Drugs, said Cambodia believed it had virtually eradicated marijuana and heroin trafficking, production and processing but methamphetamines were a much more invasive problem.

"People can make methamphetamines with very basic, easily acquired ingredients," he said. "We have had success, but policing against this drug is the biggest challenge we have ever faced because you can buy ingredients at a shop and make it in a small place."

He said Asean anti-drug chiefs would meet soon to discuss ways to combat trafficking in the region.

"Cambodia is very proud of its achievements, but no country can fight this alone," he said.

Ramin was speaking after the release of an annual report on illicit drug data and surveillance systems.

In April 2007, Cambodian authorities seized 3 tons of chemicals used to produce methamphetamines during a raid on a farm in Kampong Speu, around 40 kilometres southwest of Phnom Penh.

The operation inflamed fears that Cambodia might be becoming a new regional hub for manufacturing the drug after neighbouring countries, including Thailand, cracked down on drug smuggling and tightened border surveillance.