Director General, Department of American and South Pacific Affairs, Ministry of Foreign

Welcoming Remarks by Mr. Sek Wannamethee Director– General, Department of American and South Pacific Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Opening Ceremony Workshop on Drug Law Enforcement Cooperation for FEALAC Countries on 29 July 2013, at 09.00 hrs. at Crystal Room, Century Park Hotel Bangkok, Thailand

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Excellencies H.E. Mr. Jorge Chen, Ambassador of the United Mexican States H.E. Mr. Felix Denegri, Ambassador of the Republic of Peru H.E. Mr. Javier Becker Marshall, Ambassador of the Republic of Chile Mr. Jose Mario Ferreira Filho, Minister Counselor of the Embassy of the Federative Republic of Brazil Mr. Sukhum Opasniputh, Deputy Secretary-General of the Narcotics Control Board Pol.Maj.Gen. Puthichart Ekachant , Deputy Commander, Narcotics Suppression Bureau, Royal Thai Police Distinguished Participants, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the Royal Thai Government, I would like to extend my warmest welcome to all participants to the 3rd Workshop on Drug Law Enforcement Cooperation for FEALAC Countries held today between 29 July to 1st August, 2013.

I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to the Governments of the countries that have sent participants to this workshop from Brazil, Bolivia, Cambodia, - 2 -

Chile, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.

We all are well aware that drug abuse and illicit trafficking have affected every segment of society ranging, from the physical and psychological health of the local people to security and integrity of nations, regions and the world as a whole. Only through increasingly concerted efforts can the international community solve this problem effectively. In this regard, the Royal Thai Government has continuously placed priority on drug control as its national agenda and declared its strong commitment to eradicate this scourge. The present Thai Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra had made her policy statement to the National Assembly two years ago (August 2011) placing drug issue as the country’s urgent problem under the Government’s Policy on Social Welfare and Human Security.

Here in Southeast Asia, Thailand as an active member of ASEAN is strongly committed to continue working together with its other members towards the realization of the ASEAN Drug Free Vision as stated in the ASEAN Declaration on Drug Free ASEAN 2015 adopted at the 20th ASEAN Summit in May 2011. The Ministers in charge of the anti-narcotics issues and Heads of National Narcotics Control Bureaus from the ASEAN Member States have been sharing experiences and situations in their respective countries on the elimination of drug production, drug trafficking and abusing, as well as the challenges encountered in fighting drug abuse. Cross border investigation and interception at sea, land, and air checkpoints were recognized among the priorities in accelerating the region’s cross-sectoral collaboration due to the changing modus operandi of the traffickers and criminal networks instigated by the growing demand on narcotic substances. - 3 -

Thailand is also the lead shepherd in ASEAN in combatting illicit drugs trafficking by means of reducing the demand and supply of drugs, rehabilitating the drug addicts and promoting alternative sustainable development .

Distinguished Participants,

As you already know, FEALAC (Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation) is a grouping of 36 countries from East Asia and Latin America which came together to form an official and regular dialogue channel between the two regions. As the premier forum bridging Latin America and Asia, FEALAC has great potential to effectively address future global challenges so as to bring about peace, stability and prosperity for our regions and peoples. As the East Asia Coordinator of FEALAC, Thailand is committed to working closely with Costa Rica, the Latin America Coordinator, and with all other FEALAC members to further enhance cooperation and connection between our two regions.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

During the past decade, the Royal Thai Government has hosted a series of workshops on Drugs Cooperation for FEALAC countries. In 2005, the Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency (TICA) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, together with the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) hosted the 1st workshop on drug control cooperation for FEALAC member countries to exchange information on drug situation and best practices in drug control between the two regions. In order to reinforce this initiative, Thailand hosted the 2nd workshop in 2009 with the main focus on drug interdiction cooperation. Fruitful discussions were held and useful recommendations for the development of joint measures between the two regions were made during the workshop. Due to this great success, today the third workshop on drug law enforcement cooperation for FEALAC countries is - 4 - reconvened to update on the progress of work and further strengthen our cooperation.

Thailand intends to continue creating activities to promote connectivity between the two regions by enhancing the sharing of knowledge and best practices among the members of FEALAC community. Thailand also stands ready to support and participate in the initiatives and projects of other member countries to assist each other in addressing the current challenges and striving for a better future of our peoples, particularly the younger generation.

I hope that during and after this workshop you will have a better understanding of the drug situation among FEALAC member countries, observe the drug suppression methods practiced in Thailand, build linkages and networking in drug suppression between member countries, exchange intelligence on drug trafficking syndicates and drug cases, share experiences in drug law enforcement and interdiction among member countries. Thus, by sharing our experiences and best practices in tackling this scourge, other nations can also benefit from our acquired knowledge in the fight against drugs.

On this occasion, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all those who have made this workshop possible and I would like to wish all participants every success.

Thank you. ------