A huge haul of more than two tonnes of seized illicit substances will be destroyed on International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on Wednesday at the capital’s Koh Pich Centre, the Ministry of Interior’s Anti-Drugs Unit said.

Meas Vyrith, the secretary-general of the National Authority for Combating Drugs (NACD), told The Post on Sunday that the UN has marked International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on June 26 every year since 1989.

Member countries use this day to highlight the threat drugs pose under a theme of their own choosing.

“[Marking] this day serves to inform people of the dangers of drugs and the risks to health, security and order,” Vyrith said, adding that more than two tonnes of seized drugs would be set on fire on Wednesday.

For Cambodia, the marking of International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on such a large scale on Koh Pich highlighted the government’s commitment to tackling drug crimes, Vyrith said, and that events would be held in provinces later in the day.

NACD has implemented government strategies in combating the drugs scourge, with dealers arrested and their networks cut off, Vyrith said.

Cambodian and Vietnamese authorities held a joint meeting on the fight against drug smuggling across the border on June 13, the Ministry of Interior’s Anti-Drugs Unit said.

National Police chief Neth Savoeun made four recommendations at the meeting. First, he said detailed strategies were needed to more effectively crack down on drugs runs across the Cambodia-Vietnam border.

Second, a request was made for greater cooperation between the Cambodian and Vietnamese anti-drugs departments.

Third, Savoeun called for the establishment of a joint command unit with the aim of bolstering relations and easing the sharing of information between the two sides.

And finally, he urged the rapid arrest of suspects as requested by the two nations.