Governor urges tougher action against drugs

PHUKET TOWN: The Governor of Phuket, Chadej Insawang, has urged the Phuket Office of Narcotics Control to work harder to stamp out drug use on the island. At a meeting of the Narcotics Control Committee yesterday, the Governor said that although the spread of narcotics in Phuket was “moderate” he was very unhappy that it existed at all. He pointed out that Phuket has about 30,000 students. “We must think how to protect these students from narcotics,” he said, “and make them the leaders in the fight against drugs.” He added that private organizations and hotels should be approached for their support in the fight against drugs. In addition, the police should set up check-points to search for drugs, and use dogs to search. There should also be a good hot line for reporting drugs, Khun Chadej said, because these methods worked well in the past. Phuket was not one of the 29 provinces with a serious narcotics problem, he said. “This means we have had moderate success,” he said. “But we must try harder.”