6th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Drug Matters in Hanoi, Vietnam

1     Mr Amrin Amin, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health, is on an official visit to Hanoi, Vietnam from 17 to 19 October 2018 to attend the 6th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Drug Matters (AMMD). He is accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs.

2     Earlier today, SPS Amrin delivered Singapore’s Country Statement which underlined the growing challenges of the drug problem posed by New Psychoactive Substances, online drug trafficking, and the commercialisation of drugs. He reiterated Singapore’s three-pronged approach of effective prevention, robust enforcement, and comprehensive rehabilitation to tackle the drug scourge. SPS Amrin also emphasised the importance of regional cooperation in the fight against drugs, and urged ASEAN to continue to uphold the international drug control conventions and safeguard the region’s commitment to pursue a “Drug-Free ASEAN” that protects its people and communities from the harms of illicit drugs.

3     SPS Amrin highlighted Singapore’s commitment to support the ASEAN Cooperation Plan to Tackle Illicit Drug Production and Trafficking in the Golden Triangle 2017-2019.  This plan was first initiated by Thailand and endorsed at the 5th AMMD in 2016. It sets out the collective actions against drugs for the next decade, covering areas such as prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, enforcement and cooperation between ASEAN member states. Apart from sharing experiences on drug interdiction, operational analysis and capacity building, Singapore is also working with Thailand to donate patrol boats to bolster patrolling capabilities along the Mekong River. This donation would enhance that region’s capabilities to deter and detect drugs, and serve as an upstream initiative to prevent the flow of drugs to ASEAN.

4     SPS Amrin called on Vietnam’s Minister of Public Security Senior Lieutenant General To Lam, and both leaders reaffirmed the close ties and collaboration between their respective Ministries and agencies.