Taiwan donates cathinone testing kits to 7 Indo-Pacific partner countries

2020/10/08

Taiwan’s Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau donated 100 rapid cathinone testing kits to seven partner countries in the Indo-Pacific Oct. 6 during a ceremony held at MJIB headquarters in New Taipei City.
 
 MJIB Director-General Leu Weng-jong presented the kits to representatives and deputy representatives from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Another 200 sets are scheduled to be sent to the same countries later this year.
 
 The donations are in line with the aims of the New Southbound Policy, the MJIB said. Boosting the law enforcement capacity in cooperation with NSP target countries is a crucial step in the fight against criminal gangs and cross-border crime across the Indo-Pacific, it added.
 
 The NSP is a key plank in the government’s national development strategy. It seeks to deepen Taiwan’s ties with the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states, six South Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand.
 
 According to the bureau, drugs based on the stimulant cathinone are often hidden within tea or coffee bags for use at party venues such as karaoke bars and nightclubs. The low-cost test kits, which were developed by the MJIB’s Forensic Science Department, can accurately detect the illegal substance even in a concealed state, it said.
 
 The donations follow the 100 test kits given to allies Guatemala, Honduras, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Paraguay and Tuvalu last month.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)