12th Destruction of Sized Narcotic Drugs

Destruction Ceremony of poppy seeds presented by farmers, seized narcotic drugs,

precursor chemicals and paraphernalia, organized by the Central Committee for

Drug Abuse Control, was held at the Drug Elimination Museum in Laukkai, Kokang

region, Special Region-1, Shan State (North), yesterday morning, with an address

by Chairman of the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control Minister for Home

the occasion were Deputy Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation Brig-Gen Khin

Maung, Deputy Minister for Livestock and Fisheries U Aung Thein, Col Than Win of

Laukkai Station, the representative of UNDCP, departmental heads, the Japanese

Ambassador, Charges d’ Affaires ai of the US embassy and the Chinese embassy,

CCDAC Joint Secretary Police Col Kham Aung and members, members of work groups,

national race leader U Phon Kyar Shin of Shan State (North) Special Region-1 and

officials, Deputy Head of the Drugs Control Department Mr Chaung Shi Myin and

party of Yunnan Province of the People’s Republic of China, officers of Myanmar

Police Force, Director (News) U Hla Tun of News and Periodicals Enterprise and

information officials, Secretary of Myanmar Foreign Correspondents Club U Nyunt

Tin and members, correspondents of foreign news agencies, officials of Border

Area Development Association, the flag-bearing troupe, the pom-pom dance troupe,

Phone Myint and Ma Pyone Myint Han of Laukkai Basic Education High School No 2

undeniable fact in history that two kinds of legacy inherited in the era of

colonialism of the past such as armed insurrection of the national races and the

production of opium has made the ill-famed activities prolonged and opened

opportunities to external interventions so much so that it has developed from

Tatmadaw Government took over the State power in 1988, the policy of national

unity was laid down stressing priority in national solidarity, development of

the border regions and the national races. After realizing the Government’s

objectives with sincere intentions, 17 armed insurgent groups have come back

into the legal fold. This unprecedented success laid open for the first time in

the post-independence period, opportunities and access to all round development

programmes in the entire country and fulfillment of the basic needs of the

stability were established, access to far-flung and remote places made possible

to carry out prevention and suppression of opium production. As a result of the

changing situation, the approach and tactics of addressing drug eradication have

also changed by focusing not only on law enforcement activities but coupling

of Myanmar are not only dependent on and inter-related with stability, peace,

development and solidarity among the national races but also mixed with the

regional development, education, health, social, and development of the quality

of life of the inhabitants of the regions. As the eradication of drugs has been

carried out focusing on the development of fundamental needs and infrastructure

development, the local inhabitants and ethnic groups realizing the sincere

Region 4 in the Eastern Shan State, established as an opium free zone in April,

Government’s sincere efforts, the leaders of the ethnic groups have joined hands

with the government in constructing roads, bridges, canals, dams, hydro-power

stations and communications stations as the fundamental items to develop the

border region and the national races as well as development in crop

substitution, livestock breeding for income substitution, education, health

sectors with a view to strengthening solidarity and unity among the ethnic

Development Association Chairman U Tin Hlaing presented

487

dozens of exercise books and 100 dozens of pencil worth K 499,650 and

medicine

success effected the Kokang and Wa regions. Consequently, the leaders of Kokang

and Wa with the full support of their peoples have launched crop substitution

and income substitution programmes in their respective regions to finally get

rid of opium production by 2005. This confidence in the national races is one of

the reasons that prompted Senior General Than Shwe to give guidance to draft a

15-year elimination plan starting 1999-2002 to 2013-2014 fully relying on our

own resources. The 5 projected activities of the 15-year plan are supply and

demand elimination of narcotic drugs, organizing the participation of the local

Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control has launched “Project New Destiny” in

the regions where poppy cultivation is highly concentrated like the Northern

Shan State, the Southern Shan State and the Eastern Shan State. The Project

calls for prevention of poppy cultivation by taking action with administrative

means, distribution of substitute crop-seeds for poppy, the control of opium

seeds and taking legal actions. The opium farmers are asked to grow 7 kinds of

alternative crops instead of opium in 21,969 acres of land as a preventive

measure. Substitute seeds are also distributed in time for cultivation to

the farmers to grow substitute crops instead of poppy, substitute crop seeds

that are suitable for the areas and climate are distributed for cultivation on

the other hand, On realizing the sincere intentions of the Government, the opium

farmers, on their own accord, have come up voluntarily to submit opium seeds

they have kept for the next season. To this date, 95,659.507 kilos of poppy

seeds and 76,230.073 kilos of dried poppy bulb in the Northern Shan State, 2,242.109 kilos

of poppy seeds in the Southern Shan State, 92.60 kilos of poppy seeds and 0.40825

kilos of dried poppy bulb in the Eastern Shan State, 8.165 kilos of

poppy seeds in the Kayah State and 3,287.229 kilos of poppy seeds in Mandalay

Division, making a total of 101,289.07 kilos of poppy seeds and 76,230.481 kilos

of dried poppy bulb totaling 120,346.6898 kilos of opium seeds and opium bulbs have been

voluntarily surrendered to the authorities. In a way, such quantity of seeds

the yield rate of 4.4 kilo per acre, the output would be 324.2 tons of opium or

32.42 tons of heroin worth 3.89 billion US$ calculated with the New York street

region, they have formed up drug suppression teams on their own and from 1st to

the 15th of April 2002, a total of 52 paraphernalia were discovered and seized

from the valleys and mountains. It is indication that the local residents had

drugs control, Myanmar has been cooperating with neighbouring countries as well

2001 and 2002, Myanmar handed over drug traffickers wanted in China for 8 times

including 13 drug traffickers by the Wa on their own arrangement. Documents were

also handed over once. Such events have clearly proved that Myanmar is very

serious and deeply committed to combating drugs. Myanmar attaches great

importance to cooperation in the region and in the international arena and the

presentation in the efforts and success of drug control covers only some of the

would like to express here that this Destruction Ceremony to destroy the poppy

seeds, seized drugs, chemicals and paraphernalia clearly indicates the result of

the commitment and full cooperation of the local inhabitants. If the local

inhabitants are fully committed and show this sort of cooperation. I am fully

confident the drug scourge threatening the whole mankind will not find a place

national race leader U Phon Kyar Shin explained endeavours of their region to

of the Administrative Committee of Special Region No 1 and regional people of

Kokang region. May I extend warm welcome to all of you, the State leaders and

history of narcotic drugs in Kokang region, we can find that narcotic drugs have

been in existence for over 100 years till up to now. The tasks of narcotic

elimination can abolish the menace of narcotic drugs to human society. This duty

has now dwelt upon our shoulders. When we look back at the past ten years, we

were looked down on because of the reflection of narcotic drugs. This’s why we

live in humble with patience. We had to pay a great amount because of this

years, under the guidance and goodwill of the State government, members of our

associations took active role in carrying out the tasks of drugs eradication. So

the task of drugs eradication has now become wider and changed its appearance as

in its outer and inner parts. We can predict that like this occasion of

destroying narcotic drugs can never be occurred in the coming years. Poppy

cultivation in Kokang region can also be ceased. We have laid down plan for

eradication of poppy cultivation in this special region. We have assured that

there will be no more poppy cultivation in this region by the year 2003. This

at past experience of carrying out the drug eradication tasks we had encountered

difficulties, had to repay a great amount and had been tested with various

experiments. This drugs problem is the legacy of the history and make people to

keep out danger of narcotic drugs has become our unavoidable duty. After taking

peace with the State government, Administrative Committee of Special Region-1

has been formed since 1989 in this Kokang region and has been implementing the

drug elimination tasks with added momentum. This activity has never stopped

during the past 10 years. However this problem has been deeply rooted in this

region that the progress of carrying out the drug eradication tasks never

reached as we hoped to do so. It is not possible to solve the difficult problem

at once. Drug problem in Kokang cannot be solved in a short time according to

elimination tasks have been carried out continuously. However, our efforts could

not get true realizations. The only things we obtained are that  being looked

down upon us, being blamed and rumours about us. That is why we felt very sorry

must be active and participating the activities of drug eradication and facing

all difficulties, opium cultivation is to be eradicated completely with added

momentum. On 2 March, 2002, a decision was made for total eradication of opium

cultivation in 2002. It is much earlier than the previously target of 2005 for

total eradication. After this decision was made, as the task is being carried

out continuously, the materials shown at today’s ceremony are those which are

seized in the present activities. It is the evidence of out activities of drug

eradication. Establishing the special region-1 as the opium free zone beginning

2003 is the only goal of the people in special region-1 and group members.

connected with the food, clothing and shelter in the special region. To solve

this problem providing assistance from every factors is needed. I would like to

request the organizations and observers for drug abuse control with the goodwill

that narcotic drug eradication is the problem of all the people in the world,

not only of a region and a country. Hence, I think it will be easier to solve

the burden of food, clothing and shelter of the people in Kokang after the

activities of narcotic drug abuse control and the total eradication of opium.

including opium cultivation, total eradication of narcotic drugs is our main

goal. I would like to state that from 2003, setting up and performing Kokang as

Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation Brig-Gen Khin Maung explained

matters

related to endeavours on development of border areas and opium substitute

Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation Brig-Gen Khin Maung explained matters

related to endeavours on development of border areas and opium substitute

cultivation. He said: The first step being as you all know, is the regional

development task in agriculture, livestock breeding, health, education,

construction of roads and bridges, power supply, etc. carried out by the

Ministry of Progress of Border Areas and National Races and Development Affairs.

If we look back at the situation of Kokang region, until 1989, main roads were

just ordinary ones and unlike now, regions like “Chin Shwe Haw”, “Par Sin Kyaw”

and “Lauk Kai”, were without buildings, electricity, school, hospitals and

agricultural sector you will also notice the presence of rubber, sugarcane,

vegetable and maize plantations, high-yielding paddy, hybrids, in addition to

dams like Shiphan; “Larlee”, “Sitone Shwe” and “Man Khar” and the development of

Chairman Minister for Home Affairs Col Tin Hlaing, Kokang region national race

leader

U Phon Kyar Shin and Deputy Head of Narcotic Drugs Elimination Department Mr

Chong Sheng Meng of

speedy development of agriculture and livestock breeding in Kokang and Kachin

regions, a group of four deputy ministers, have been especially assigned by the

Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council in October 2001 during

941 acres of land prepared for poppy cultivation could be substituted with

wheat, beans and pulses in last October and November, 462 acres were grown with

mangoes, orange, lychee, longons, grapes plantation etc. For that, for which the

Government has spent 48.9 million kyats. Plans are also under way to distribute

20,000 trees of other kinds of fruits like walnuts, during this year in “Tar

Chairman Minister for Home Affairs Col Tin Hlaing and Deputy Head of Drugs

Control Department

Mr Chong Sheng Meng of Yunnan Province torch seized drugs, chemicals and

Kokang special region-1, has also set up a livestock breeding farm on 150 acres

as opium substitute undertaken near “Yan Lon Kyaing” village and has arranged to

build a dam at a cost of 8.5 million kyats close to it. Likewise in Kachin

State, 325 acres of farmland and 300 acres of orchard could be developed, and “Nant

San Yan” weir to irrigate 5,000 acres that had been built at a cost of 77.2

being 52.5 million kyats assisted by CCDAC, for the cultivation of opium

substitute crops, in time for the years 2002-2003 monsoon cultivation season on

edible crops will be produced from the land prepared for poppy crops. For

Laukkai region, paddy, maize, wheat, buckwheat, beans and pulses seeds for 3,064

acres have been distributed and assisted by Kokang national race leader U Phon

of the remote controls to set fire to drugs, precursor chemicals, paraphernalia

assistance rendered by the agricultural sector for the development of border

areas and cultivation of opium substitute crops is meeting with success. Based

on this, we would carry on with our assistance, for the regional and

socio-economic developments of our national brethren and eradication of

Myanmar Border Area Development Association Chairman U Tin Hlaing presented 487

dozens of exercise books and 100 dozens of pencil worth K 499,650 and medicine

for Home Affairs Col Tin Hlaing and members and the guests inspected opium seeds

presented by farmers and narcotic drugs and paraphernalia seized in Laukkai

for Home Affairs Col Tin Hlaing, Deputy Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation

Brig-Gen Khin Maung, Shan State (North) Special Region-1 national race leader U

Phon Kyar Shin and officials, Deputy Head Mr Chong Sheng Meng of Drugs

Elimination Department of Yunnan Province and party took designated places and

pressed the buttons of the remote controls to set fire to drugs, precursor

chemicals, paraphernalia and opium seeds. Afterwards, CCDAC Chairman Minister

for Home Affairs Col Tin Hlaing and party and the guests visited the Drug

Elimination Museum in Laukkai, Kokang Region. Next, national races, members of

Cross, USDA, Kokang national races and students destroy

precursor chemicals and liquid at the narcotic drugs destruction ceremony in

narcotic drugs destruction ceremony on 8 June, organized by CCDAC in Laukkai, 12,776.6 kilos of opium seeds, stimulant tablets weighing 2.72

kilos, amphetamine tablets solid weighing 119.41 kilos, amphetamine powder

weighing 23.1 kilos, 1.209 kilos of caffeine, 0.055 kilo of heroin, 50 kilos of

opium sediment, tablets containing Ephedrine weighing 10.8 kilos, 0.5 kilo of

Ice, 136.38 litres of opium liquid, 34.1 litres of opium liquid plus Lysol,

568.25 litres of acid anhydride, 11.36 kilos of hydrochloric acid, 1,591.1

litres of Lysol, 1,545.68 litres of alcohol, 529 litres of hydrochloric acid,

68.19 litres of ether, 320 litres of tinder, 1,704.75 litres of water plus

ceremony, Minister for Home Affairs Col Tin Hlaing, the deputy ministers, the

diplomats and journalists viewed thriving of 450,000 lychee and longan trees,

10,000 mango trees and 550,000 rubber trees in Namtip Township of Shan State