Neth Savoeun reports 104 positive drug tests among public and armed personnel, 103 dismissed

Neth Savoeun recently told an annual meeting that the Cambodian government had required urine tests for more than 130,000 civil servants and armed-forces personnel since February 2024. He reported 104 positive results, with 103 people removed from their posts and dismissed, while one faced legal proceedings. As chairman of the National Authority for Combating Drugs, Neth Savoeun said the increasingly complex global drug-crime situation in 2025 required Cambodia to strengthen internal discipline and enforcement to prevent drugs from undermining state institutions. He said the government would continue implementing nationwide anti-drug work through Directive No. 01 and designate 2026 as the eleventh national campaign against illegal drugs. Officials hoped enforcement, inter-agency cooperation and private-sector participation would help build a safer, drug-free society.