Police forces urged to expand cooperation with Laos in fighting drug crimes
General To Lam, Minister of Public Security, on August 17 chaired a videoconference on drug-related crime prevention and combat.
The webinar saw the presence of Lieutenant General Nguyen Duy Ngoc, Deputy Minister of Public Security as well as leaders of relevant under-ministerial units and the police departments of the 10 provinces of Dien Bien, Son La, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quanh Binh, Thua Thien – Hue, Quang Tri, Quang Nam and Kon Tum, which border Laos.
Major General Nguyen Van Vien, Director of the Counter-Narcotic Police Department, said under the direction of Minister To Lam and Deputy Minister Nguyen Duy Ngoc, the department has coordinated with relevant units and local police forces to review and assess the cooperation with Lao partners on prevention and combat of drug-related crimes.
Particularly, on the occasion of the visit of State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc to Laos, Minister To Lam and his Lao counterpart signed a supplement to the 2020 Additional Cooperation Plan between the two Ministries of Public Security, and Deputy Minister Nguyen Duy Ngoc and his Lao counterpart signed a MoU on cooperation in drug prevention and control between the two ministries.
At the event, leaders from the 10 provincial police departments briefed on results of their counter-narcotic operations and cooperation with Lao forces over the past time. They also proposed plans and measures to enhance cooperation with Lao competent agencies in the time to come.
Speaking at the event, Minister To Lam urged the department to develop a master plan to implement the MoU between the two ministries, suggesting that the Vietnamese side should deepen cooperation with the Lao side on the basis of the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.
The Minister of Public Security also asked the department to coordinate with relevant agencies to review all current legal documents and regulations of the Public Security Forces regarding international cooperation on counter-narcotics.
Further, the department should recommend higher authorities to revise or supplement legal documents so as to create favorable conditions for local police units to boost cooperation and coordination with Lao units in preventing and fighting drug-related crimes.
General To Lam also requested all the 10 police departments of the provinces to draw up plans to eradicate trans-border drug trafficking rings and drug hotspots in border areas.
