Monitoring Committee for CCDAC holds coord meeting
Yangon, 20 Aug - A work coordination meeting of the Monitoring Committee for Working Groups of the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control took place at the meeting hall of the headquarters of Myanmar Police Force this afternoon.
It was attended by Chairman of the monitoring committee Deputy Minister for Home Affairs Brig-Gen Thura Myint Maung, chairmen of the working groups deputy ministers, the deputy attorney-general, secretaries of the working groups directors-general and managing directors, officials of Myanmar Anti-Narcotics Association and Association for Development of Border Areas and guests.
Brig-Gen Thura Myint Maung explained the works implemented by the working groups and the sub-working groups of CCDAC in July 2002, and discussed the setting up of the drug free zones in border areas. Joint-Secretary of CCDAC Police Col Kham Aung reported on works carried out on decisions made by the meeting of the monitoring committee on 17 July. Then, those at the meeting presented supplementary reports on works being carried out and future tasks.
Then, Deputy Minister for Home Affairs Brig-Gen Thura Myint Maung made closing remarks. Under the programme of handing down severe sentences, altogether 12,109 persons 10,088 men and 2,021 women were sentenced.
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Yangon Division Committee to Eliminate Narcotic Drugs and Psychotrophic Substances holds meeting
Yangon, 16 Aug - Yangon Division Committee to Eliminate Narcotic Drugs and Psychotrophic Substances held a meeting at the meeting hall of the committee here this morning. Chairman of the Committee Chairman of Yangon Division Peace and Development Council Commander Maj-Gen Myint Swe delivered an address and also assigned duties to members of district and township drug elimination bodies.
The commander said the nation has been implementing the 15-year narcotic drugs elimination plan covering the five priority tasks Ñ to wipe out poppy cultivation and opium production, to eliminate drug abuse, to curb drug trafficking, to organize local people to participate in the tasks and to cooperate with the international community. Of the five tasks, the Yangon Division has been striving with greater momentum to implement the three tasks to eliminate drug abuse, to curb drug trafficking, to organize local people to participate in the tasks. The State has been making greater efforts in eliminating narcotic drugs since 1988; it has achieve success in inviting the armed groups to return to the legal fold and developing the border regions to a certain degree.
The peace groups are now gaining good economic foundations, for the State has been paving the way for them so that they can enjoy economic opportunities. As a result, they have been able to implement effectively the drug eradication tasks for about two years. For example, Mongla region was declared "Drug Free Zone" in 1997. The Wa and Kokang national races leaders are also issuing orders concerning narcotic drugs in their respective regions. Myanmar is striving to declare Kokang and Wa regions and the border towns, Tachilek, Myawady and Kawthoung, as "drug free zones".
At the meeting on wiping out narcotic drugs in border areas, which was held on 23 July, Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt stressed the need to lay down a plan to transform Tachilek District into a drug free zone and added that states and divisions covered by the plan are required to make cooperative efforts in this regard. At the meetings of the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control, which were held on 6 March and 8 April, the Secretary-1 himself gave practical guidelines to lay down pilot projects to root out poppy cultivation and to reform drug elimination bodies in states and divisions, districts, townships, wards and village-tracts. Thus, the bodies were reorganized on 12 June 2002.
Vice-Chairman of the committee Yangon Division Police Commander Police Col Aung Daing explained the anti-drug endeavours in the divisions, followed by a general round of discussions. The meeting ended with concluding remarks by the commander.
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