PM Calls on Collective Endeavour to Combat Drug Threat

PM Calls on Collective Endeavour to Combat Drug Threat

The Cambodian Prime Minister calls on a collective national movement that engages all sectors to foster awareness of the impacts and dangers of illicit drugs and guides concrete actions by all players to break the cycle of the social welfare bottleneck.

Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet sends out the message in an open letter to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, observed on June 26.

He emphasised the need for multi-sectoral cooperation to raise public awareness and encourage concrete actions that dismantle the deep-rooted cycle of drug-related challenges impacting social welfare.

While expressing pride in Cambodia’s progress in the fight against drugs and recognition by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for Cambodia as a role model in the observance of the important day, the Prime Minister cannot afford complacency.

He noted that Cambodia remains vulnerable to the global drug crisis, a complex and interconnected issue often entwined with transnational organised crime, and these illegal networks continue to pose serious threats to social stability and hinder the country’s socio-economic development.

Cambodia’s main goal is to prevent the nation from becoming a destination for drug trafficking and to shield its citizens from the devastating consequences of drug-related crimes.

Achieving this vision, he added, requires the active involvement of all citizens, working hand in hand with law enforcement and relevant authorities.

To drive meaningful change, Samdech Thipadei called for broader public education and sustained awareness campaigns and instructed all government ministries and sub-national authorities to lead by example in practicing integrity, transparency, and good governance.

He also encouraged the use of five metaphorical reform principles introduced by former Prime Minister Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, which are mirroring (self-reflection), bathing (cleansing internal practices), scrubbing (reform), treatment (addressing systemic issues), and surgery (eliminating irreparable problems).

Meanwhile, Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet encouraged the public to continue using the NoDrug mobile application, designed to make educational information on drugs conveniently accessible and to promote reporting of drug offences easier while highly securing confidentiality.

To date, nearly 1,400 reports have been filed through the app, resulting in over 1,200 timely interventions.

Samdech Thipadei urged the private sector, media, entertainment industry, local communities, families, and youth to join the collective endeavour within their capacity to break the cycle of drug abuse and illicit trafficking to bring Cambodia to a new level.