Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand andSingapore on March 11 presented three patrol ships to Laos and Myanmar tobolster drug suppression cooperation on the Mekong River.

Speaking at the handover ceremony at a pierin Thailand’s central province of Samut Prakan, Thai Justice Minister SomsakThepsutin said the patrol boats were delivered under ASEAN’s cooperation planto combat trade in illicit drugs in the so-called Golden Triangle, which stretchesacross rugged borderlands shared by Thailand, Laos and Myanmar.

He said Thailand, as initiator of ASEANcooperation in suppressing the drugs trade, had joined hands with Singapore tobeef up Mekong security with the addition of the three patrol boats.

Thailand also supports Laos and Myanmar inacademic exchanges, capacity building for anti-drugs officials, and blockingshipments of chemical precursors required to produce the narcotics.

Local media quoted the Thai official assaying that the vessels will take part in missions to prevent drug traffickersfrom using the river to smuggle chemical precursors to drugs factories in theGolden Triangle and smuggling illicit drugs to other countries.

They will also join efforts to plug holesin a border drug-smuggling operation worth hundreds of millions of dollar peryear.

Thailand was the first country to encourageevery member in ASEAN to reinforce security in the Golden Triangle, whose drugfactories pump out a constant flow of methamphetamine and opium floodingthrough the rest of Southeast Asia.

Thailand initiated the Golden Triangle 1511Operation in December last year in collaboration with five countries in theMekong region, in a bid to decimate the drug syndicates./.