Bilateral Agreements

On 25 November 1991, H.E. Mr. Malik, Indian Ambassador to the Union of Myanmar called on U Ohn Gyaw, Minister for Foreign Affairs and discussed cooperation on matters related to drugs control on

Myanmar-India border.

On 2 June 1997, the Indian Ambassador Mr. Malik called on the Deputy Director-General of the political Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and proposed a draft agreement on

After deliberations on the terms of the Agreement, Myanmar and India signed the Agreement

on 30 March 1993 in Yangon. Police Colonel Ngwe Soe Tun, Joint Secretary of the CCDAC signed for

Myanmar and Mr. D.V Kumar, Director of Indian Narcotics Control Bureau, for India. Under the

Agreement, the two sides agreed to cooperate in the following areas:

( l ) Exchange of information

( 2 ) Investigations

( 3 ) Identification and destruction of poppy fields, cannabis fields and opium refineries

( 4 ) Control of precursors, essential chemicals and solvents

( 5 ) Prohibition of import of cough syrup of narcotic nature.

Bilateral meetings between the two countries were held in New Delhi in 1993, in Yangon in l994 and

again in New Delhi in -1996. Officials at lower level also met four times in 1994,1995 and 1996 for purposes

of bilateral contacts, two each in Tamu and Imphal..

On 8 December- 1997, Bangladesh Ambassador to the Union of Myanmar Brigadier-General Chowdhury Khalik called on the Minister for Home Affairs and proposed that an agreement on

anti-narcotic control be signed during the good will visit to Myanmar of the Bangladesh Interior Minister. Myanmar proposed a draft agreement on anti-narcotics control to Bangladesh for deliberation.

The bilateral Agreement on narcotic control in the following areas of cooperation was signed in Yangon on 1 December 1994 by the visiting

Interior Minister of Bangladesh H.E. Mr. Abdul Matin Chowdhury for Bangladesh and by the Minister for Home Affairs, for Myanmar.

(1) Exchange of information of operational, technical and general nature;

(2) Provision of assistance upon request in operational matters including use of such investigative methods as may be necessary;

(3) Identification and destruction of illegal drug processing sites

and laboratories and identification and eradication of illicit cultivation o cannabis and opium poppy;

(4) Regulation and monitoring of the production, importation, exportation storage, distribution and sale

through prevention, treatment and public awareness activities;

amendments to the existing laws that may be made in future; and

(7) To combat drug trafficking, preventing money laundering and cooperate in tracing, identification, freezing, and forfeiture of properties derived from and used in illicit trafficking, based on the information exchanged.

Vietnam made an overture for cooperation in anti-drugs drive through the

Myanmar Ambassador in Hanoi .This led to an expert-level meeting between the two countries

during the course of the visit to Vietnam of Minister for Progress of Borders Areas and National Races Development Affairs and the Minister for Home Affairs, Deputy Minister Col. Tin Hlaing. As the draft agreement on the proposed areas by the Myanmar side would not be signed during the visit, it was agreed to continue further consultations.

The Agreement for Mutual Cooperation in Drug Abuse Control, as approved by both sides, was signed by Minister for Foreign Affairs U Ohn Gyaw and his counterpart Mr. Nguyen Manh Camh at the first session of Myanmar Vietnam Joint Commission held in Hanoi, Vietnam on 11 March 1995. The agreement provides for:

(1) Exchange of information of operational, technical and general nature.

(3) Exchange of literature on existing laws, rules and procedures etc, concerning drug abuse control

Under the Agreement, bilateral coordination meetings were held in Yangon in

1995, Hanoi in 1994 and Yangon in 1997.

During the visit to Myanmar from 8 to 14 June 1994, the 3 member delegation from

Russian Federation led by Colonel Ermakov, Chief of Economic Counter Intelligence Department, Federal Counter Intelligence called on Minister for Home Affairs on 9 June 1994 and proposed a draft agreement on anti-narcotic cooperation.

The draft was agreed to after coordination through diplomatic channels and signed on 22 January 1997 between the

CCDAC and the Federal Security Services (formerly

FCIS) of the Russian Federation. The agreement on the following areas of cooperation was signed by Police

Major General Soe Win, Secretary of the CCDAC on behalf of CCDAC and by

Col. General Valentin A. Sobolev for the Federal Security Services:

(1) Exchange of information on illicit transportation and trafficking of drugs and provision of mutual assistance in matters of prevention and suppression;

employed; and

(3) Assessment of the results achieved through cooperation and holding of coordination meetings at expert level, as and when necessary.

Mr. Boun Khan Thevambounny, Chief of Office of the Secretariat of the National

Commission on Drug Control and Supervision of the Foreign Ministry of Laos and a

representative visited Myanmar from 5 to 9 September 1991, met with the Myanmar delegation led by the then Deputy Minister of

Foreign Minister U Ohn Gyaw and discussed cooperation in anti-drugs matters. Subsequently,

the Myanmar Delegation led by Foreign Minister U Ohn

Gyaw, the Laotian Delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Soubandh Sirithrath and the Regional Director Mr. William Beachmer of the Bangkok Office of UNDCP had a follow-up meeting during which the Laotian Delegation submitted a draft agreement on anti-narcotic control prepared by the UNDCP. The draft was examined by the two countries through diplomatic channels.

An agreement covering the following areas of cooperation was signed in Yangon on 29 March 1997 between Laotian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Phongsavath Boupha and the Secretary of the CCDAC Police

Maj. General Soe Win: 

(1) Exchange of information of operational, technical and general nature;

(3) Control of chemicals used in production of narcotic drugs;

(4) Exchange of literature on existing laws, rules and procedures and on the amendments to the existing laws that may

be made in future; and

(5) To combat drug trafficking, prevent money laundering and cooperate in tracing, identification, freezing, seizure and forfeiture of properties derived from and used in illicit trafficking on the basis of information exchanged .

The Republic of Philippines made an overture for an anti-narcotic agreement on cooperation

between the two countries to Be signed during the goodwill visit to myanmar of President

Fidel Ramos in October l997 and suggested that the draft be prepared by Myanmar. The

CCDAC prepared the draft, which was sent to the Philippines through the Ministry of Foreign

Affairs. After discussions, it emerged as the agreed text.

The Agreement approved by both sides was signed at Yangon on 10 October 1997 during the good will visit of the 

Philippine President . Lt. General Mya Thin, Minister for Home Affairs signed for Myanmar and Foreign Minister

Mr. Domingo L. Siazon for the Republic of the Philippines. The Agreement covered the following areas of cooperation:

(1) Cooperation on prevention and suppression of illicit production, distribution, trafficking and use of narcotic drugs;

(2) Joint control of chemicals used in production of narcotic drugs;

(3) Exchange of visits by experts;

(4) Exchange of information or operational methods; and 

Following the proposal of Thailand. to host a trilateral ministerial-level meeting of

Myanmar/Thailand and Laos on narcotic drugs control, a ministerial meeting of the three countries was held in Bangkok

from 12 to 14 March 1992. The Myanmar Delegation headed by the Minister for Home Affairs Lt. General Phone Myint, the Laotian Delegation headed by

Foreign Minister Mr. Phoune Sipaseuth participated The host nation was represented by a delegation headed

by the Deputy Prime Minister and Police General Pow Sarasin.

In accordance with the agreement of the first meeting, the second meeting was held in

Yangon from 9 to 11 February 1994. The Myanmar Delegation to the meeting was headed

by the Minister for Home Affairs and Chairman of the CCDAC Lt. General Mya Thin and the

Thai Delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Amnuay Viravan and the Laotian Delegation

led by the Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office Mr. Phao Bounnaphol.

It was held at Luang Praban and attended by the Myanmar Delegation headed

by the Minister of Home Affairs and Chairman of CCDAC Lt. General Mya Thin, the Thai

Delegation headed by Minister at Thai Prime Minister’s Office Mr. Wearakorn Khumprokob

and the Laotian Delegation led by Foreign Minister Mr. Somsavar Lengsevat.