Opium refinery exposed in Mongton Township

30 April – A combined team comprising members of the team of the special region

2 of northern Shan State and the local security board, acting on information

that narcotic drugs were being refined near Nakaungmu village-tract in Mongton

Township at an estimated map reference T-534088, launched a raid on the refinery

on 30 March. On arrival at Kyanu village, the combined team encountered an armed

combing the village, the authorities arrested the culprits involved in the

illegal trafficking of narcotic drugs together with drugs, and arms and

ammunition. The combined team then raided an opium refinery at an estimated map

reference T-505113 and exposed 12 opium-refining huts, narcotics, and precursor

chemicals used in the production of narcotic drugs. Seizures made during the

raids at Kyanu village and the opium refinery were 12 opium-refining huts, 14.8

kilos of heroin, 8.4 kilos of morphine, 33.8 kilos of heroin grade-2, 26.4 kilos

of heroin grade 3, 383.8 kilos of raw opium, 42 kilos of opium residues, 720.7

liters of chemical liquid, seven assorted arms and ammunition, and 19 kinds of

paraphernalia, together with 42 culprits. The revelations of the culprits

enabled the combined team to search the houses of Sai Yi, escape culprit, 49, of

Nakaungmu village in Mongton Township, and Lawho, 40, on 25 April. The

authorities arrested Sai Yi, key player in the refining of heroin, and Oktama,

together with another four drug traffickers, 0.8 kilos of raw opium, seven

assorted arms and ammunition, bank account books and cheques, proceeds realized

96.1 kilos of heroin, 1,035 liters of chemical liquid, 11 kinds of

paraphernalia, and arms and ammunition were seized again from his house, No 270,

illegal production of narcotic drugs were smuggled into the country from Painlon

of Thailand, and arrangements are under way to be able to arrest drug culprits

29 April – The coordination meeting for holding Yangon Division Level Cartoon,

Painting, Poster, Computer Arts & Poster Competitions held in commemoration of

International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking was held at the

hall of Yangon Division Peace and Development Council Office yesterday morning,

with an address by Yangon Division Peace and Development Council Chairman Yangon

Command Commander Maj-Gen Myint Swe. Also present on the occasion were Secretary

Lt-Col Kyaw Tint and members of Yangon Division Peace and Development Council,

chairmen of District Peace and Development Councils, the Division Police Force

an opening speech. Then, Yangon Division Police Force Commander Police Col Aung

Daing and Deputy Police Commander Police Lt-Col Win Myint reported on

competition and formation of sub-committees and tasks to be carried out. Members

of Work Committee for holding the competitions took part in the discussions for

holding the competitions. The meeting ended with concluding remarks by the

available at Yangon Division Police Commander’s Office from 1 to 7 May and

28 April – The Tatmadaw, Myanmar Police Force and the Customs Department exposed

204 drug cases in March, 2003. Seizures made by them were 63.0741 kilos of opium

in 29 cases, 23.4451 kilos of opium in 84 cases, 1.5418 kilos of opium oil four

in cases, 9.0922 kilos of low grade opium in 12 cases, 2.5468 kilos of marijuana

in 15 cases, 14 litres of Phensedyl in four cases, 1,177,064 stimulant tablets

in 24 cases, 75 kilos of Ephedrine in two cases, 4.24 kilos of stimulant powder,

600 kilos of Phenyl Acetic Acid, 411.14 litres of Acetic Anhydride in one case,

1,136.5 litres of chemical liquid in one case, 1.5 kilos of chemical powder, 16

cases for failure to register, and 10 other cases. Action was taken against 348

24 April – The coordination meeting 1/2003 of Mon State Drug Abuse Control

Committee was held at the office of Mon State Police Force Commander on 22 April

South-East Command Commander Maj-Gen Thura Myint Aung, departmental officials

speech. Then, Mon State DACC Vice-Chairman Mon State Police Force Police Col

Thein Lin and members reported on tasks and activities for drug abuse control.

attended the ceremony to assign duties to be carried out in 2003-2004 held at

the hall of Mon State Peace and Development Council office. The commander made

22 April- The 46th Session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs organized by

United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime was held at Austric Centre in Vienna,

Austria, from 8 to 17 April. Implementation and difficulties of the Political

Declaration approved by the 20th special meeting on drug control held at the UN

headquarters in New York in 1998 were reviewed at the Ministerial Level Segment

of the session on 16 and 17 April. Myanmar delegation led by Chairman of the

Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control Minister for Home Affairs Col Tin

Hlaing attended the session. Myanmar delegation comprised member of CCDAC

Brig-Gen Kyaw Thein of the Ministry of Defence, Ambassador U Nyunt Maung Shein

of Myanmar Embassy in Berlin, Germany, Joint-Secretary of CCDAC Police Col Kham

Aung and Second Secretary Daw Aye Mya Hman of Myanmar Embassy in Berlin.

Minister Col Tin Hlaing made a speech at the plenary meeting on 17 April. In his

Myanmar delegation, I would like to congratulate for being elected as the

Myanmar’s achievements and the difficulties encountered in meeting the goals and

targets set out in Political Declaration adopted at the 20th Special Session of

Government have taken advantage of the peaceful situations in the border regions

for the first time since independence in 1948, laying down a strategy to develop

the infrastructure of the border areas and upgrading the living standards of the

national races with a view that poppy cultivation will gradually be phased out.

The strategy has gradually paid off with the establishment of an Opium Free Zone

in 1997 in Mong La Area, Eastern Shan State, which is sustained to date. The

Kokang Special Region-1 followed suit by declaring they have stopped poppy

cultivation in 2003. Moreover, the Wa Special Region-2 guaranteed to stop

ambitious 15-Year in 1999 to totally eradicate drugs in the country by 2014.

This major undertaking relies on our own resources and is based on the United

Nations’ Balanced Approach and accordingly, will not only strive for reducing

supply but also reduce demand and drug abuse with community participation. As

part and parcel of the 15-Year Plan, a pilot project programme called “New

Destiny” was launched in April last year with a pre-emptive approach by setting

up seed banks and free distribution of substitute crop seeds to poppy farmers

before the poppy season. Project sites were identified in high-density

cultivation areas of the Shan State. Educational campaign, crop substitution,

livestock breeding, income-substituting cottage industries and various other

development programmes were introduced and subsidized by the Government in the

project sites. One of the important intervention of the projects is the

destruction of opium seed surrendered voluntarily by the farmers from their

stock for the coming poppy season. A total of 165,956 kilograms of poppy seeds

have been burnt and destroyed in front of the public in nine different

occasions. This intervention enabled the prevention of 41,128 hectares from

concerted efforts have resulted a drastic reduction in the cultivation as well

as production of opium in Myanmar. Opium Yield Survey annually held jointly with

the United States Government since 1993 reported cultivation dropped sharply to

77,700 hectares with an estimate production of 630 metric tons in 2002 from an

estimate of 163,110 hectares of cultivation and a production of 2,560 metric

tons in 1996. This is a 77 per cent reduction within seven years without any

together with UNDCP under the Global Illicit Crops Monitoring Programme since

2001 also testified by the significant decrease of 80,000 hectares and estimate

production of 830 tons. Based on early reports from the surveys of this season,

been acknowledged by all credible sources including the INCB Report of 2002 and

there is also a marked decline in the amount of opium and heroin seized within

the country over the recent years. However, the escalating problems of synthetic

drugs like amphetamine type stimulants propel us to cooperate with our

neighbouring countries in the region on bilateral, trilateral and multilateral

basis. This problem is entirely different from the opium based drugs and

cultivation of poppy. Myanmar does not have a chemical industry and does not

manufacture precursor chemicals to produce these synthetic drugs. Due to the

fact that all these precursor chemicals are illicitly trafficked from

neighbouring countries, I am pleased to report that Myanmar is addressing this

regional problem with the full cooperation of China, India and Thailand and

to this meeting that Myanmar has enacted the Control of Money Laundering Law in

June 2002, which is in line with the 40 Recommendations of the Financial Action

the spread of HIV among injecting drug users, we have joined hands with the UN

Organizations as well as International Non Governmental Organizations working

not only in the control of the problem but also in harm reduction measures. To

this end, we are also tapping into the Global Funds for HIV/AIDS to combat this

problems, nations across the world should increase cooperation at the regional,

sub-regional and bilateral levels. Myanmar, on her part, is striving vigorously

with a national plan to eradicate opium within 15 years, based on our own

resources and is committed to maintaining the present momentum. However, if

international assistance is forthcoming, Myanmar is confident that we can

achieve the objectives in a much shorter period. In this connection, I would

like to take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks to the Government of

China, Japan, Italy, Thailand and the United States for their kind contribution

to alternative development projects in Myanmar. I would lastly urge the United

Nations to further strengthen its leadership in the fight against drugs and

transnational crimes through impartial and effective programmes and likewise,

Justice and Customs Minister Mr Chris Ellison of Austria on 16 April and

Executive Director Mr Antorio Maria Costa of UNODC on 17 April and discussed

matters related to cooperation in narcotic drug control, Myanmar’s efforts for

elimination of narcotic drugs and difficulties and participation of UNDCP in

Myanmar’s anti-narcotic drive. Myanmar delegation also met with Drug Control

Commissioner Minister for Health and Social Welfare Marion Caspers-merck of

Germany, Health Minister Achmad Sujudi of Indonesia, Ambassador Yukio Takasu of

Permanent Representative Office of Japan, and Justice Minister Pornthep

Jhepkanjana of Thailand and Mr Disnadda Diskul, Secretary-General of Mae Fah

Luang Foundation and discussed matters related to cooperation in narcotic drug

21 April — A work coordination meeting on holding of literary and painting

competitions to commemorate the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit

Trafficking, which falls on 26 June 2003, took place at the meeting hall of the

Chairman of the Committee for Drug Abuse Control of Bago Division Commander of

occasion and heard reports on the type of the competitions, rules and

regulations of the competitions, and the formation of committees for the

for International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking commemorative

3 April — The short story, article, song, poem, cartoon, painting, poster,

computer drawing and computer poster competitions, organized by the Central

Committee for Drug Abuse Control, will be held to mark International Day Against

and poem are to be sent not later than 20 May and entries for song, painting,

cartoon and poster competitions, 25 May to Police Col Maung Myint, Secretary of

Crime Reduction and Information Committee, Office of Commander of Yangon

Division Myanmar Police Force on Bank Street (corner of Strand Road and Sule

Pagoda Road). Entries for computer drawing and computer poster competitions are

to be sent to the CCDAC by 15 May. Prize-wining works will be announced on 18

2 April -Secretary of the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control

Director-General of Myanmar Police Force Brig-Gen Khin Yi on 30 March met with

local authorities of Kawthoung District and Township at Mizuthaka Hall in the

ensuring Kawthoung District to become a drug free zone in accord with the

guidance of the Head of State. Secretary-1 General Khin Nyunt also gave

instructions to ensure Tachilek, Kawthoung and Myawaddy Districts to become drug

drug-elimination momentum in the border areas, drug addict treatment and

rehabilitation, formation of a Kawthoung District anti-narcotic drug association

1 April — Meeting of the delegates of Myanmar and Thailand on development

project of Yongkha Model Village being carried out with the assistance of

Thailand under the Myanmar-Thailand Drug Abuse Control Cooperation Programme was

Col San Pwint of the Office of Chief of Military Intelligence of Myanmar and a

six-member delegation led by Lwaitone Project Manager Mr Disnada Diskul attended

the meeting. Wa national race leaders U Shauk Min Lian and U Kyauk Kaw En and

local people welcomed them at the village. The delegates of the two countries

discussed matters related to the completion of a primary school with the

accommodation capacity of 500 students under construction in April and a 16-bed

station hospital at the end of May and requirements for construction of a dam

the two countries visited Wanhon region, where poppy substitute crops are

thriving, in the township by car. Wa national race leaders and local people

welcomed them and explained the success achieved by Wa nationals in cultivation

of poppy substitute crops such as longan, honey-orange, coffee, tea, mango,

sugar cane, pulses and beans, corn, paddy and other annual crops in Mongyon,

facts they wanted to know and viewed round Wanhon longan plantations, Maikyant

honey-orange plantations andLawhsanson coffee plantations. They left Wanhon for