8th Destruction of Narcotic Drugs Ceremony

8th Destruction of Narcotic
Drugs Ceremony – 18th July 1994 Yangon


Participants:

  • Secretary-1 of the State Law
    and Order Restoration Council and members
  • Department Heads and Invited
    Guest
  • Resident Representatives of UN
    agencies
  • Representatives of the UN Drug
    Control Programme
  • Diplomats and Military
    Attaches
  • Foreign Media Personnel
  • Local Media Personnel
  • Invited Guest

    Presentation By Pol. Col. Ngwe Soe Tun,
    Joint Secretary of Central Committee For Drug Abuse Control at The Eighth
    Destruction Of Narcotic Drugs Seized By Law Enforcement Agencies

    Esteemed Secretary-1 and
    Members of the State Law and Order Restoration Council, Chairman and Members
    of the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control, Heads Departments, Resident
    Representatives of United Nations Agencies, Members of e Crops of Diplomats,
    media personnel and invited guests;

    To introduce myself, I am
    Police Colonel Ngwe Soe Tun, Director of the Narcotics Division, People’s
    Police Force, and also Joint Secretary of the Central Committee Drug Abuse
    Control.

    Let me first convey our
    thanks, on behalf of the CCDAC, to all of your for giving some of your
    valuable time to attend today’s significant occasion, at which narcotic
    drugs seized within the Union of Myanmar will be publicly destroyed for the
    eighth time. will now commence my report, wishing you health of body and
    peace of mind.

    Esteemed guests,

    Today’s report will be
    presented in three parts, the first of which will be by The second part,
    that is the Law Enforcement Portion, will be presented by Police Conel Maung
    Maung Than, Director of the Criminal Investigation Department and member of
    the Law Enforcement Sector. Thirdly, you will be watching a ten-minute video
    documentary on the latest situations in our country regarding drug abuse
    control.

    Esteemed guests,

    I will now present part one
    of the report. As some of you may well know, is the eighth occasion at which
    seized narcotics were publicly destroyed. In addition his, poppy fields and
    opium refineries in the border regions were destroyed for twelves, making a
    total of twenty. In connection with these efforts, the following points been
    highlighted.

    • The Drug Abuse Control
      policy and objectives of the Union of Myanmar. The setting up of the
      Central Committee and other Working Committees as well as their
      situation report on the implementation of the Drug Abuse Control policy.
    • The endeavours of the
      Ministry for Progress of Border Areas and National Races and Development
      Affairs with a view to totally eradicate poppy cultivation and to raise
      the standard of living of the national races.
    • The situation of our joint
      efforts with the UNDCP and other UN agencies.
    • Cooperation with the Laos,
      Thailand and China in line with UN resolutions.
    • The situation of joint
      drug enforcement activities with India along the common border.
    • Law enforcement activities
      in the Union of Myanmar according to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic
      Substance Law.
    • The situation of supply
      reduction and demand reduction measures undertaken within the country.

    Esteemed guests,

    In the first part of the
    report, emphasis will be laid upon two salient points, the first being
    annihilation of drug traffickers, In the second, the international relations
    in the sphere of drug abuse control. As regards efforts to annihilate drug
    trafficking armed groups, let us make comparisons between the pre-1988
    Operation Moe Hein which crushed opium refineries along the borders and the
    operation launched very recently in Motigkyawt area. phase One of Operation
    Moe Hein was Launched on 26 April 1976, and was carried on annually for
    twelve successive years up to 1988. Statistics show that within these twelve
    years, the toll was

     

    • 205 drug traffickers
      killed (by body count)
    • 18 drug traffickers
      captured
    • 249 small arms
    • 70607 rounds of assorted
      ammunition
    • 2364 land mines
    • 19 communication sets
    • 15 opium refineries
    • 159.61 kg of Heroin
    • 344.68 kg of morphine
    • 5453.93 k of raw opium
    • 20.33 kg of liquid opium
      and
    • it large amount of
      chemicals and utensils used in the manufacture of Heroin.

    In the recent 45-day
    operation that lasted from 11 May through 24 June this year in the vicinity
    of Monkyawt in Mongton Region, Khun Sa’s drug trafficking terrorists
    suffered a heavy loss.

     

    • 50 terrorists were killed
      (by body count) and
    • 163 small arms
    • 11350 rounds of ammunition
    • 560 assorted land mines
    • 340 rocket propelled
      grenades (RPG)
    • 3 kg of heroin, and about
      2 viss of marijuana were seized.

    Esteemed guests,

    In Operation Moe Hein, 109
    valiant Tatmadaw (Armed Forces) members made supreme sacrifice and 572 were
    wounded. In the recent Operation in Monkyawt area, we sacrificed 196 lives
    including 7 officers, and 357 were wounded. This Remounts to a total loss of
    305 killed in action and 929 wounded. It will be seen that many men of
    valour made supreme sacrifice in both the 12-year-long and 45-day operation.
    Today, at this auspicious event we pay tribute to those who answered the
    call of duty with their lives. Nowhere else in the world have such selfless
    and altruistic sacrifice been made in combating the urge of drugs.
    Therefore, I hereby honestly and factually venture to say that the Union of
    Myanmar had, and has, been crushing drug pushing insurgents tooth and nail.
    The dignitaries present here today, I am sure, will be able to discern who
    have been involved who have been supporting those drug pushers.

    Esteemed guests,

    Allow me to continue with the
    report on international relations. The Union Myanmar became a signatory to
    the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drug on March 1961. The signing was
    ratified by the Revolutionary Council Government on July 1963. State parties
    to this convention promulgated laws and statutes on drug control, cooperated
    with their counterparts and limited the use of drug strictly to medical and
    scientific purposes.

    The Union of Myanmar sent a
    delegation to the 1971 Convention on chotropic Substances in Vienna,
    Austria, from 11 Jan to 19 Feb 1971. Due to nonprevalence of abuse of
    psychotropic substances in the country then, Myanmar did not became a
    signatory. Nevertheless, reports, returns, statements and data were
    occasionally submitted. Now that abuse of psycliotropic substances have
    invaded our country, and as have become a state party to the 1988 Convention
    Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic drugs and Psychotropic Substances on 9
    September 1991, we have already signed the 1971 Convention on 7 June 1994
    and have also informed the Secretary-General of the United Nations of this
    move.

    Esteemed guests,

    I will now go into our joint
    efforts with our neighbours. At the United Nations Headquarters, New York,
    on 26 Oct 1993 the Union of Myanmar signed a Memorandum Understanding with
    Laos, Thailand, China and UNDCP. A high level meeting was I in Vientiane,
    Laos, from 30 June to 1 July 1994 as a prerequisite for the Ministerial
    Meeting as prescribed in the MoU. The Second Ministerial Meeting was
    convened from rough 11 Feb 1994 in Yangon, after which a joint declaration
    was issued. The fourth coordination meeting was held in Kuming, PRC on 24
    May and in Bangkok, Thailand 28 June, 1994. The China/ Myanmar/ Thailand/
    UNDCP Sub-regional Drug Control Programme signed on 12 June 1992) was
    discussed at the meeting.

    Esteemed guests,

    Myanmar’s firm stand
    regarding international Drug Control activities was clarified by the
    Secretary-1 of the State Law and Order Restoration council at the Second
    LPDR/ Myanmar/ Thailand Ministerial Meeting held in Yangon on 9 Feb this
    year. In opening address, the Secretary-1 said;

    “The scourge of drug
    abuse has become and international concern, a global problem. Drug abuse
    knows no boundaries, No nation is immune to the threat of drug abuse. Only
    with the united efforts of all nations can this danger be averted. The Union
    of Myanmar is convinced that multilateral cooperation is urgently needed at
    the national, regional and international levels.”

    Esteemed Resident
    Representatives of UN Agencies, members of the Corps of Diplomats,
    journalists and guests,

    Today, the scourge of
    HIV/AIDS has amplified the threat of drug abuse. To successfully combat
    these two, we firmly believe that it is now time to act according to the
    motto “Countries unite, to combat the scourge of narcotic drugs-
    mankind’s enemy” Before winding up the first part of the report, I
    would proudly like to declare that the Union of Myanmar is always ready to
    act, and always welcomes sincere cooperation in solving mankind’s most
    serious problem.

    Thank you.


    REPORT PRESENTED BY POLICE
    COLONEL MAUNG MAUNG THAN, DIRECTOR OF THE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION DEPARTMENT
    AND MEMBER OF THE LAW ENFORCEMENT SECTOR, CCDAC

    Esteemed guests,

    Allow me to carry on with the
    second part of the report. I am Police Colonel Maung Maung Than, member of
    the Law Enforcement Sector of the CCDAC and Director the Criminal
    Investigation Department.

    This part of the report is on
    the narcotic drugs already destroyed and those about to be destroyed today.
    These were confiscated by the Defence Services, the People’s ice Force, the
    Customs Department and other law enforcement agencies, and after the trial
    of cases in court, were handed over to the CID.

    Let me begin with the list of
    drugs that will soon be set ablaze and destroyed front of your very eyes.

    • Opium – 1291.235kg
    • Heroin – 162.018 kg
    • Opium Oil – 5.329 kg
    • Liquid Opium – 1.934 kg
    • Marijuana – 263.786 kg
    • Phesedyl 500 ml x 37
      bottles – 18.500 litres
    • 125 ml x 5747 bottles –
      718.375 litres
    • 60 ml x173 bottles –
      10.380 litres
    • Total 5957 bottles –
      747.255 litres
    • Teradyl – 35.786 litres
    • Phencodine – 0.375 litres

    Now I will read out the list
    of drugs already destroyed in the seven previous occasions.

     

    • Opium 6929.119 kg
    • Heroin 1148.624 kg
    • Opium Oil 62.908 kg
    • Liquid Opium 114.217 kg
    • Morphine base 63.435 kg
    • Marijuana 3308.766 kg
    • Phensedyl 54.400 kg
    • 19071.41litres)
    • Corex 39.78 litres
    • Glycodine 8.82 litres
    • Promedyl 10.00 litres
    • Teradyl 91.986 litres

    Adding up the two lists, we
    have the up-to-date total, which is:

     

    • Opium 822.354 kg
    • He
    • roin 1310.642 kg
    • Opium Oil 68.237 kg
    • Liquid Opium 116.151 kg
    • Morphine base 63.435 kg
    • Marijuana 3572.552 kg
    • Phensedyl 19818.665 litres
    • Corex syrup 39.78 litres
    • Glycodine 8.820 litres
    • Promedyl 10.000 litres
    • Teradyl 127.772 litres
    • Phencodine 0.375 litres

    You are sincerely invited to
    inspect the seized drugs displayed right before you before setting them
    ablaze yourself. I now conclude my report by letting you know that narcotic
    drugs seized in the future will be similarly dealt with.

    Thank you very much.