In the first month of a six-month anti-drug crackdown, Cambodian authorities have arrested nearly a quarter of the total number of people arrested for drug-related offenses in all of last year, the Cambodia Daily reported on Thursday.

Last month, 2,428 people were arrested in nearly 1,000 drug-related cases, with more than half 1,243arrested for using drugs, the newspaper reported, citing government figures.

In the entirety of last year, police arrested about 9,800 suspects in drug cases, about a third of whom were suspected drug users.

On January 1, the government launched a multi-pronged campaign to combat drug trafficking and expand rehabilitation programs in an effort to quell what officials said was a growing national narcotics problem.

Meas Vyrith, secretary-general of the National Authority for Combating Drugs, said that the arrested drug dealers were being sent to prison, while users went to hospitals, rehabilitation centers or temporary treatment centers.

"We never punish the drug user," he was quoted as saying by the newspaper. "We consider the drug user to be the victim."

source: Xinhua