SMCC member countries join hands to fight illicit drug trafficking
A conference to review the results of activities of the Mekong Safe Coordination Center for Drug Control (referred to as SMCC for short) took place in Hanoi, on April 6, 2023, with the participation of delegations from the six member countries, namely China, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Vietnam with its capacity as the host country in 2023 has drafted the action program within the framework of the "Safe Mekong" initiative and invited other countries to send staff to work at SMCC (February 2 to April 9, 2023).
During their time working at the SMCC in Vietnam, the member countries' officials have functioned as coordinators between the center and their countries, deploying joint activities in the subregion.
At the end of the discussion session, the SMCC's conference approved the Mekong Safe Action Plan on illicit drug trafficking control for the period of 2023 - 2027, including 5 important solutions: 1. Controlling precursor production and trading; 2. Investigating, preventing and combating illicit drug production, trading and transportation activities; 3. Coordinating in implementing joint campaigns; 4. Focusing on countering illicit drug trafficking activities on roads, rivers and along the border; 5. Developing a cooperation management mechanism.
In the period of 2023 - 2027, SMCC member countries will continue to play a leading role in crafting national policies and strategies to control the production and trading of illicit drugs and precursors, and actively launch large-scale attacks on hotspots of illicit drug production and trading, focusing on borderlines, routes for transporting illicit drugs and key precursors in and out of the Golden Triangle.
