he Northern Shan State Special Region (2) Wa National Group

of U Pauk Yu Chan had split from the Burma Communist Party in April 1989 and

entered into peace agreement with the Government. Their base region is along

Chinese border in eastern part of Myanmar where Wa nationals reside. The

Government has designated the region of the Wa National Group as the Northern

Shan State Special region (2) and provided assistance for eradication of opium

and development plans in the region. Previously the local populace subsisted

well below the poverty line and had relied entirely on the opium trade. Since

they achieved peace, by launching long-term projects, the leaders of the Wa

National Group, with the support of the Government have carried out the all

round development of the region and also undertaken the total elimination of

opium in the region.

While launching such long-term plans to eradicate opium, the need to eliminate

opium trafficking itself has become an urgent task. In this regard, in order not

to pose extra burden on the local populace, the Wa National Group has taken

necessary measures. by accepting international aid through the Government,

introducing more variety of crops to substitute opium and, if l successful, to

expand the area of cultivation educating the local people about the adverse

effects of opium cultivation, designating opium free zones every year and its

gradual extension, creating new jobs by carrying out regional development

projects, aiming to reduce and eliminate the opium cultivation, and achieving

the final objectives of eliminating opium in the entire Wa region t y the year

the Wa National Group strongly urged the local people to decrease the acreage

under opium within 3 years and encouraged them to increase the cultivation of

enacted a law in Pan Khan township, which stipulates that since it has been

declared to achieve the total eradication of opium in the region, action will be

taken against anyone who does not heed the directives would be liable to

punishment It also stipulates that anyone who commits offences four times will

be sentenced to death and one who traffics in drugs across the border in China

issued to the local people by the Central Committee meeting of the Wa National

Group, declaring that measures would be taken to achieve the total elimination

of opium in Wa region within 10 years, with the help of the Government and the

international community. Ho Taung, Nant -Iit, Pan Khang, Mong Yawng township

would be made drug free zone and the cultivation of opium in Pan Khang, Nant Tit

and Ho Taung Special areas and Mong Yawng district would be prohibited during

the year 1995.

In order to meet the ultimate objective of total elimination of opium in the

region, the Wa National-Group, acting in unison with the Tatmadaw and the local

people, has destroyed some thousands of acres of poppy fields. On many

occasions, they organized torching Ceremonies of seized opium, heroin,

amphetamine tablets, chemicals and paraphernalia, to the total street value