BANGKOK, Thailand – President Benigno S. Aquino III and Thailand Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva are expected to tackle illegal drugs and human trafficking when they meet next month during the Filipino leader’s state visit here.

Prime Minister Abhisit disclosed this as he confirmed President Aquino’s state visit to a select group of reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing WAN-IFRA conference here.

“Yes, late next month... around the 24th,” the Thai Prime Minister said when asked about the Filipino leader’s visit.

President Aquino’s scheduled visit is part of the move to further foster cooperation among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Prior to the May meeting, both leaders will meet next week at the ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Details of the state visit, including the issues to be discussed are still being worked out.

One possible issue on the agenda is the problem of drugs and human trafficking, which Abhisit said could be addressed through stronger “cooperation” with Thailand’s regional peers.

“We continue to suffer from drug problems... common problems for us,” he said, citing cross-border movement of syndicate members.

The Thai leader described human trafficking as “more complicated” with “many dimensions,” particularly affecting migrant workers.

“Multilateral solutions, that’s the kind of cooperation,” needed to address this issue, Abhisit said.

The Philippines and Thailand had initially discussed and agreed to have a comprehensive cooperation on intelligence-sharing on these two thorny issues during a recent meeting between Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario and Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya.

Thailand imposes death penalty for drug trafficking.

To date, there are 23 Filipinos, 16 of them female, jailed here due to drugrelated cases.