Narcotic Drugs Suppression Measures Undertaken by Southern Shan State Pa-O Nationals Armed Groups

Organization, which is the armed group of Pa-O nationals in Southern Shan State, has

been cooperating with the Government in regional development activities as well as

in eradication of narcotic drugs. In 1995, its Central Committee issued a notification

stating that the poppy growing, production and trafficking and use of drugs are prohibited and serious action will be taken

against offenders. The notification was circulated to all villages in their region.

Although there were no poppy plantations in their region, Pa-O National Organization

has been cooperating in destruction of poppy fields by informing the Tatmadaw whenever

they received reports about the poppy growing and drug trafficking in the adjoining region.

Since 1989, all the armed groups of national races, which have taken strongholds in major poppy growing border

areas such as, Kayah state, Southern and Northern Shan State and in the adjoining

area of Kachin State and Shan State, have entered into legal fold accepting the Government’s peace offer. Since attaining

peace in those border areas, the Government has been undertaking drugs eradication

measures through implementation of regional development programme. The armed groups of national races themselves

are not only cooperating with the Government but also actively implementing their own programmes by adopting projects and objectives towards regional development and elimination of narcotic drugs. With regard to law enforcement, notifications concerning suppression of narcotic drugs were promulgated and legal actions were taken against offenders in cooperation with the Government as well as with their own separate arrangement Destruction of poppy fields and cultivation of substitution crops are also being carried out through adoption of projects. The activities for educating the local

populace on narcotics drugs are conducted and drug addicts treatment centers are also established by each and every national armed group. The prevalence of peace and tranquillity has enabled them to concentrate on regional development works in these major poppy growing border areas and also enabled the Government to extend its arms of executive power to those regions Together with these positive developments, the cooperation and participation of each and every national race armed group in the drugs elimination activities as a national task have resulted in the achievement of growing success in the fight against narcotics and significant reduction in poppy growing and drug trafficking year by year. Consequently some areas have been declared as opium free zone and progress are also being made in their efforts to declare some of the remaining regions as opium free zone according to their own targets and

the projects. Thus the drug elimination measures being undertaken by the national