The fight against drug trafficking in Vietnam
Ha Noi, Nov.16, (VNA) -- Viet Nam has declared a war against drug trafficking and other social evils at a seminar jointly held here today by the National Committee for AIDS, Drug and Prostitution Control and the daily Nhan Dan.
Fighting drug trafficking and addiction is extremely difficult and requiring more efforts from all government offices as well as relevant organizations, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem told the seminar, stressing this should be considered a regular task with a view to wiping it out of the people's life.
Addressing the seminar, Deputy Minister of Public Security Le The Tiem said drug trafficking and addiction have been increasing nationwide as the traffickers are more reckless. Their activities have remained unabated all along border line from the north to the south.
Currently, Viet Nam has about 110,000 drug addicts, including 1,700 students and pupils. More than 100,000 addicts were detoxified in the 1993-99 period, including 27,000 in 1999, an increase of 23 percent over the previous year.
Over the past four years, over 36,000 cases of drug trafficking were uncovered, more than 70,000 drug traffickers, including 70 foreigners arrested, and 8,514 kilos of opium and about 273 kilos of heroin confiscated.
Viet Nam has also signed agreements with other countries on drug control and conducted six national projects and nine sub-regional projects in this regard. Particularly, in Arpil last year, Viet Nam officially joined the the websites of Interpol and ASEAN police to fight drug trafficking.
