Phl, Thailand to cooperate against drug trafficking

MANILA, Philippines -  The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported yesterday that the Philippines and Thailand have agreed to cooperate against drug trafficking and stop international syndicates from recruiting drug couriers from the two countries.

The DFA said the Philippines and Thailand would start a comprehensive sharing of intelligence through the existing agreements in the United Nations, Interpol and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario met with Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya last April 10 at the sidelines of the ASEAN Special Informal Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on the East Asia Summit in Bangkok to reaffirm their commitment to further strengthen bilateral relations, especially in the campaign against international drug syndicates and human trafficking gangs.

Del Rosario cited the importance of cooperation against drug trafficking that was proposed for discussion at the upcoming 5th Philippines-Thailand Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation to be held in Manila this year.

Other areas to be discussed are cooperation in agriculture, education, trade and investments, tourism, energy, disaster management, as well as developments in ASEAN.

The ministers also discussed the continuing assistance to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam, especially through investments and joint ventures that would complement efforts to attain an ASEAN Community by 2015.

China carried out last March 30 the death penalty by lethal injection on Ramon Credo, Elizabeth Batain and Sally Ordinario-Villanueva who were convicted of drug smuggling.

The DFA said 75 Filipinos facing drug trafficking charges in China were saved from death row when they were meted death penalties with two-year reprieves, which in Philippine legal parlance is equivalent to life imprisonment.

DFA spokesperson Eduardo Malaya said “a sentence of death penalty with two-year reprieve will be commuted to life imprisonment provided the individual conducts himself with good behavior within the two-year period.”

The Philippine government has a strong anti-illegal drug policy, and is closely cooperating with law enforcement agencies in other countries on efforts against drug trafficking. It is undertaking comprehensive and proactive measures to address the drug courier issue and to prevent the further victimization of Filipinos by international drug syndicates.

The Philippines recently submitted a petition to the Royal Thai government for the grant of royal pardon to 15 Filipinos currently serving prison sentences in various Thai prisons.

Stated in the petition of the Philippine embassy in Bangkok are those Filipinos with the oldest cases and the longest prison sentences, including two who had been sentenced to 25 years imprisonment.

Some of the prisoners included in the petition informed the embassy that prison authorities have already interviewed the detainees.

The interview is part of the Thai prison system’s internal processes for determining whether an inmate is eligible for Royal pardon.

The embassy continues to provide assistance to all the Filipino inmates by arranging jail visits to them by concerned members of the Filipino community in Thailand.