PHUKET: A new state-run drug habilitation centre has opened on the island in the hope of steering more people away from using, and dealing, drugs.
Phuket Vice Governor Piyapong Choowong presided over the opening ceremony of the project, called the Kwan Land Center, at Wat Cherng Talay, yesterday (Dec 8).
Phinathip Na Thalang, a behavior control officer working with the Director of the Phuket Provincial Probation Office, explained that the centre is one of a collection set up throughout the country in line with the government’s policy to focus on the prevention and treatment of drug problems.
“It has been set on the national agenda that organisations from all sectors must play a role and participate in driving the problem down while not affecting the lives of the people as a whole,” she said.
The Ministry of Justice has accelerated its programme by allowing people to take part by informing offenders in their community about the project and have them enter the treatment process appropriately, Ms Phinathip said.
Having people voluntarily enter drug rehabilitation also breaks the trade cycle and the finances of drug dealer networks, she said.
“The Department of Probation has coordinated with the Department of Provincial Administration, Ministry of Public Health and other related parties, so that the probation office in each province assigned to coordinate with various departments to create a project to solve problems with drug users and drug addicts in the form of the Kwan Land Center,” Ms Phinathip explained
The first 50 people to undergo the rehabilitation programme at the centre are those currently under probation. They have been assigned to undergo treatment at the centre for 12 days, from Dec 6-17.
“It is very gratifying that all parties have come together to realise the problem of drug addiction by all sectors joining together to drive the prevention and solution of drug problems in Phuket to be effective with the goal of providing addicts a way to receive standardised rehabilitation therapy,” Vice Governor Piyapong said.
“At the same time, this will reduce the number of drug traffickers and drug addicts in the Phuket area as well, which will create a better society in the future,” he said.
Source: The Phuket News