3rd Destruction of Narcotic
Drugs Ceremony – 26th November 1990 Yangon
Participants:
- Secretary-1 of the State Law
and Order Restoration Council and members - Resident Representatives of UN
agencies - Diplomats and Military
Attaches - Representatives of the UN Drug
Control Programme and PRC Drug Control Division - Foreign Media Personnel
- Local Media Personnel
- Other Guests
Report made by the Central Committee for Drug Abuse
ControlEsteemed Chairman of the
Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control, the Secretary-1 of the State Law
and Order Restoration Council and members, Resident Representatives of UN
Agencies, Diplomats and Military Attaches, Representatives of the UN Drug
Control Programme and PRC Drug Control Division, local and foreign media
personnel, and distinguished guests,Thank you all for your
presence at this Third Destruction of Narcotic Drugs seized by Law
Enforcement Agencies.In the first portion, I would
like to present the policy concerning border areas here opium is mainly
grown and produced, out of the policies followed in preventing the threat of
narcotic drugs in Myanmar today.
The policy is “to strive
for gradually reducing production of narcotic drugs id finally putting to an
end totally to production of narcotic drugs while implementing development
projects for national races in the areas concerned.”Accordingly, the State Law
and Order Restoration Council has formed the central Committee for
Development of Border Areas and National Races and the Work committee for
Development of Border Areas and National Races and taken measures.The State has spent millions
of kyats on agriculture, livestock breeding, road links, housing and
establishment of new towns, transport, trade and cooperatives, health,
location, mineral exploration, power supply and so on in Kokang and Wa
regions in Southern Shan State, Kengtung and Mawpha regions in eastern Shan
State and northern regions of Kachin State. As such, success has been
achieved in realizing the objective putting to an end to narcotic drug
production through development of border areas id national races.Realization of this objective
in turn contributes toward mobilizing conscientious participation of
national races in the fight against narcotic drugs.All of you may have heard of
news that two refineries engaged in production heroin, opium and morphine
used for the purpose, heroin, chemicals and araphernalia with a street price
in the United States of America of over US $ 500 million were put torch by
local leaders near Laukkai village in Kokang region in northern Shan State
on 22 November.Distinguished guests,
The Shweli Valley, home to
Shan, Kachin, Palaung and Lihsu national races; Kokang region of Kokang
nationals and Wa region of Wa nationals in north-cast of Myanmar are regions
bordering the neighbouring country. They are strategic areas which – have
safeguarded at the cost of many lives.Without even recalling
aggressive wars of many years past. if we study the st war which started on
I January 1968 of No 45 Myanmar Regiment in the northtst of the country, we
will notice the political, military and strategic objectives of the Ba Ka Pa
(BCP) (Burmese Communist Party) calling for establishment of Red Power area
from Shweli Valley to e Bago Yoma, then throughout the country by organizing
national races, arming the recruits, and creating liberated areas.In accord with these
objectives, they perpetrated military engagements of high intensity among
the national races. In the process they occupied- Shweli Valley (Muse,
Namhkam, Momeik) at first,Kokang region on the east of
the Thanlwin River in the second stageWa region on the east of the
Thanlwin River in the third stage.They armed the national races
and set up battalions No 303, 404, 505 and so on. In the military
engagements lasting more than two decades, good sons of the nation died, in
other words they sacrificed their dear lives for the motherland they loved
inch. Many families of national races were disrupted with the loss of their
sons and husbands. Towns and villages were deprived of peace and pleasant
atmosphere. Transport and communication links were cut off. Uneducated
youths were subjected to death, starvation and suppression. Finally, they
were addicted to heroin. National unity too was jeopardized.The atmosphere which
reverberated with songs and music of national races in the past was replaced
by the sound of exploding bombs and gunfire and stench of carbide and blood.Starting front the late 1970,
BCP (Burmese Communist Party) insurgents began to force the local national
races to grow opium poppy, establish refineries and produce heroin on a
large scale. In addition to waging a genocidal war among national races and
heroin war against the entire human race, they victimized the national races
in that war.Out of the total population
of nearly 100,000 in Kokang area, 75 per cent re said to have grown opium
poppy and nearly 3,000 are addicted.Similarly, in Shweli Valley
in Wa region and Kengtung region, production and distribution of drugs has
increased because of BCP (Burmese Communist Party).Distinguished guests,
As national races could no
longer to lerate the BCP (Burmese Communist Party) , they have left the
after and implemented regional development projects in cooperation with the
Government. In connection with Kokang region, leader of the region U Phon
Kya Shin said:BCP (Burmese Communist Party)
entered the Kokang region beginning 1968. They collected tax from opium
poppy growers, heroin producers and drug traffickers to feed their armed
men.In 1985, the BCP (Burmese
Communist Party) allowed its troops to retine opium and produce heroin and
engage in drug trafficking.There had been no progress
for more than 20 years.His group has decided to
strive for eliminaiton of narcotic drugs in spite of many difficulties.Efforts will be made to
eliminate narcotic drugs from the region.This will be carried out
under a six-year project.There are plans to engage in
agriculture, livestock breeding and small-scale industries to replace opium
business.In connection with combating
narcotic drugs, he said Kokang area will wage its war against narcotic drugs
as a naitonal duty till to the successful end. The reasons, he said, were
because of the encouragement of Maj-Gen Khin Nyunt, to counter false
allegations of foreign radio and publications, because of grave condition of
youths addicted to drugs in their region and out of grave concern felt after
realizing the fact that the ignoble business has brought dishonour to the
nation and affected the local populace adversely.The anti-drug song chanted in
Kokang region today has reverberated the areas of the motherland where Mekha,
Malikha, Shweli, Thanlwin, Chindwin, Ayeyawiidy and Sittoung Rivers flow.In place of the stench of
carbide, blood and opium present in that hill area, there now exist sounds
of traditional songs and music, school children reciting poems and saying
prayers of the elders.The anti-drug movement in
Kokang region will cause repercussions not only Myanmar but also in the
world as a whole.Dtinguished guests,
Evidence hits been produced
today that some nations, some foreign broadcasting tions and some
publications are levelling false accusations in connection with anti-durg
measures taken by Myanmar in order to cover up chaotic conditions of the
drug problem in their own countries.Truth has prevailed now. They
said we are growing opium poppy and producing thousands of kilos of drugs.
But I would like to ask them will they not mention transactions at their
airports, ports and on the streets involving tens of thousands of tons of
heroin conducted in collaboration with the authorities.Distinguished guests,
Our study team has recently
visited the Golden Triangle area bordering Myanmar, Thailand and Laos. The
place hits been incorrectly cited as the largest opium producing area in the
world. Pointing fingers at our side, they said those were the hills where
opium poppy was grown and the area prodticted the largest amount of drugs.
But such people are like a human parasite keeping close to an elephant to
share sugarcane fed to the animal. In fact they have built hotels, baths,
massage parlours and stores. They are earning foreign exchange after opening
these facilities with proceeds realized from the products on our side. Not
much opium poppy is grown in the Golden Triangle area. We will take you
there at a convenient time.Distinguished guests,
Our country has been taking
anti-drug measures steadfastly as a national duty. Myanmar has also sent
representatives to meeetings on drugs sponsored by the United Nations. It
has followed the principles, discipline and procedures that conform to State
policies being practised.Myanmar became a party to the
1961 Convention on Narcotic Drugs. It has discussed and coordinated
cooperation among neighbours in the subregion with China and Thailand at the
first meeting held recently. That will soon materialize.Resident Representative Mr
Gerd Merrem of the UN Development Programme discussed measures taken by our
country as such:He said regardi