Monitoring Committee for CCDAC holds coord meeting

Yangon,

hall of the headquarters of Myanmar Police Force this afternoon.

It was attended by Chairman of the monitoring committee

Deputy Minister for Home Affairs Brig-Gen Thura Myint Maung, chairmen of the

working groups deputy ministers, the deputy attorney-general, secretaries of the

working groups directors-general and managing directors, officials of Myanmar

Anti-Narcotics Association and Association for Development of Border Areas and

guests.

Brig-Gen Thura Myint Maung explained the works implemented by

the working groups and the sub-working groups of CCDAC in July 2002, and

discussed the setting up of the drug free zones in border areas. Joint-Secretary

of CCDAC Police Col Kham Aung reported on works carried out on decisions made by

the meeting of the monitoring committee on 17 July. Then, those at the meeting

presented supplementary reports on works being carried out and future tasks.

Then, Deputy Minister for Home Affairs Brig-Gen Thura Myint

Maung made closing remarks. Under the programme of handing down severe

sentences, altogether 12,109 persons 10,088 men and 2,021 women were sentenced.

Yangon, 16 Aug –

Yangon Division Committee to Eliminate Narcotic Drugs and Psychotrophic

Substances held a meeting at the meeting hall of the committee here this

morning. Chairman of the Committee Chairman of Yangon Division Peace and

Development Council Commander Maj-Gen Myint Swe delivered an address and also

assigned duties to members of district and township drug elimination bodies.

The commander said the nation has been implementing the

15-year narcotic drugs elimination plan covering the five priority tasks Ñ to

wipe out poppy cultivation and opium production, to eliminate drug abuse, to

curb drug trafficking, to organize local people to participate in the tasks and

to cooperate with the international community. Of the five tasks, the Yangon

Division has been striving with greater momentum to implement the three tasks to

eliminate drug abuse, to curb drug trafficking, to organize local people to

participate in the tasks. The State has been making greater efforts in

eliminating narcotic drugs since 1988; it has achieve success in inviting the

armed groups to return to the legal fold and developing the border regions to a

certain degree.

The peace groups are now gaining good economic foundations,

for the State has been paving the way for them so that they can enjoy economic

opportunities. As a result, they have been able to implement effectively the

drug eradication tasks for about two years. For example, Mongla region was

declared “Drug Free Zone” in 1997. The Wa and Kokang national races leaders are

also issuing orders concerning narcotic drugs in their respective regions.

Myanmar is striving to declare Kokang and Wa regions and the border towns,

Tachilek, Myawady and Kawthoung, as “drug free zones”.

At the meeting on wiping out narcotic drugs in border areas,

which was held on 23 July, Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development

Council Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt stressed the need to lay down a plan to transform

Tachilek District into a drug free zone and added that states and divisions

covered by the plan are required to make cooperative efforts in this regard. At

the meetings of the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control, which were held on

6 March and 8 April, the Secretary-1 himself gave practical guidelines to lay

down pilot projects to root out poppy cultivation and to reform drug elimination

bodies in states and divisions, districts, townships, wards and village-tracts.

Thus, the bodies were reorganized on 12 June 2002.

Vice-Chairman of the committee Yangon Division Police

Commander Police Col Aung Daing explained the anti-drug endeavours in the

divisions, followed by a general round of discussions. The meeting ended with

concluding remarks by the commander.