BANGKOK, Sept 24 (TNA) — Transport and customs organizations have been ordered to seriously check shipments to Australia, Japan and New Zealand to block the smuggling of illicit cargoes and protect the national image.
Deputy Transport Minister Atirat Ratanasate said he met representatives of the Customs Department, the Royal Thai Police Office, the Marine Department, the Port Authority of Thailand and shippers to discuss measures to block illicit cargoes from being smuggled out of the country.
The meeting responded to the recent smuggling of narcotics by a foreigners’ gang from Thailand to New Zealand. The prime minister ordered the Transport Ministry to suppress the smuggling to protect national image, Mr Atirat said.
The meeting came up with many measures. He cited that the Customs Department would check the capabilities of its X-ray machines which did not detect the narcotics smuggled to New Zealand. The Port Authority of Thailand would check the weights of suspicious shipments.
Strict examination of shipments would focus on those destined for Australia, Japan and New Zealand because intelligence showed that smuggled goods had been usually sent to the countries, the deputy transport minister said. (TNA)
