Customs seize ฿21m in Etomidate transiting Thailand en route to Laos
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Customs seize ฿21m in Etomidate transiting Thailand en route to Laos
12 Sept 20:08Key points summarised by AI
Thai Customs, in collaboration with the Airport Interdiction Task Force (AITF), intercepted 30 kilograms of Etomidate, a Category 2 psychotropic substance valued at over ฿21 million, at Suvarnabhumi Airport.
The illicit shipment, concealed in plastic drums, originated from India and was transiting through Thailand with Laos as its final destination, exposing an international drug trafficking route.
Etomidate, an ultra-short-acting anesthetic, was recently reclassified as a Category 2 psychotropic substance, making its unauthorized transit a violation of Thailand's Narcotics Code and Customs Act.
This significant seizure disrupts an international narcotics trafficking network, reaffirming Thailand's commitment to preventing its territory from being exploited as a transit corridor for controlled drugs.
Thailand's Education Ministry is implementing a four-pronged strategy to address its students' below-average performance in PISA 2025 and tackle significant educational inequality.
The plan prioritizes closing performance gaps by increasing funding for small and low-income schools, overhauling the curriculum to foster critical thinking, and adopting a data-driven management system to reduce teacher workload.
Key initiatives include enhancing school safety, combating cyberbullying, and expanding mental health support through peer-to-peer networks, recognizing the severe impact of distress on academic performance.
An education expert advises verifying if PISA improvements stem from structural changes, advocating for a revived STEM curriculum with practical 'learn by doing' methods, and urging bureaucratic reform to link teacher evaluations to student development.