Prayut sets “drug free” goal for Thai province where massacre happened

Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday set a goal for the northeastern Nong Bua Lamphu province, where the horrific October 6 massacre happened, to become “drug free” within 30 days.

A government spokesperson told the Associated Press that Prayut had ordered relevant agencies to implement measures related to drug abuse and trading. Agencies have been instructed to monitor several areas of Nong Bua Lamphu to look for information that could help implement the measures in other provinces.

Officials have been deployed to monitor drug situations in communities and provide help to drug addicts in need of rehabilitation.

After the recent massacre at a daycare centre in Nong Bua Lamphu province, Thailand’s PM said last week that laws on guns and listed narcotics will be strictly enforced.

Cabinet members and law enforcement authorities agreed that permits to carry a gun in public could be revoked if the carrier is found to have mental health, drug, or misconduct issues.

Last week in Chiang Mai, there were plans to ask 3,500 officers from all police stations in the province to take a drug test to build confidence and trust in the community.

There was also a drug testing campaign for defence volunteers in Phuket last week. Phuket police chief Suwit Suriyawong said that all the defence volunteers tested negative for drugs.

Thailand will wait in anticipation to see whether Prayut’s goal for Nong Bua Lamphu will be achieved.