Asian Insider Ep 72: Rising tide of meth across South-east Asia

13:09 mins

Synopsis: Each month, The Straits Times' US bureau chief Nirmal Ghosh presents an Asian perspective of the week's global talking points with expert guests.

Illicit drugs - mainly methamphetamines - is an industry that grew last year amid the Covid-19 pandemic, border controls, and a recession.

Nirmal Ghosh chats with Inshik Sim, research officer for illicit drugs at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Bangkok, and Erlend Falch, officer in charge at the UNODC in Laos about the following points: 

1. The UN report on Asia’s illicit drug trade (1:58)
2. Organised crime groups in Mekong region (3:23)
3. Laos as a transit country (6:03)
4. Drug trade impact on Bangladesh and India (9:25)
5. Need for intelligence-based enforcement (11:35)

Produced by: Nirmal Ghosh (nirmal@sph.com.sg) & ST Video team

Edited by: ST Video team, Aleemah Basirah & Hadyu Rahim

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