Cambodia : Interior Ministry admits to prison drug problem

In what one commentator described as “a bold step”, the Interior Ministry’s prisons department has seemingly admitted it has a drug problem, and last week sent a letter requesting the Health Ministry’s assistance in tackling it.

Prisons department operations director Be Tealeng said yesterday that of the 18,800 people currently in Cambodia’s prison system 5,650, nearly a third, are doing time for drug-use charges. The notorious Prey Sar prison has the highest number of substance abusers, followed by Siem Reap and Battambang, he said.

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