Hanoi urges fight against drug abuse

Hanoi urges fight against drug abuse

HANOI (Reuter): Vietnam has urged fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to devise a plan of action aimed at curbing drug abuse and trafficking in the region, the official Vietnam News Agency said yesterday.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Khanh, speaking on the first day of a meeting of ASEAN drug enforcement officials in Hanoi, said Vietnam had failed in its efforts to put a brake on the drug trade.

The five-day meeting has brought together officials from the ASEAN nations, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Officials from Laos, Myanmar, Interpol, the United Nations Drug Control Program (UNDCP) and the Bangkok-based Association of Narcotics Control Officers were also attending.