Drug culprit handed over to China

13 Jan – Acting on a tip-off, members of local intelligence unit searched

Kyinpaing Hotel in Zarmani Myothit, Laukkai, at 11.30 pm on 24 December 2003 and

seized drug absconder Kyauk Kum Myin (a) Kyauk Kaung Myin of China together with

culprit to China was held at Kyinthu Hotel, Yanlonkyaing Station in Laukkai on

31 December afternoon, attended by Lt-Col Aye Lwin of Laukkai Station and

officials, Deputy Head of Drugs Control Unit of Kyeinkham District Police Force

Force Police Major Khin Maung Myint presented the documents relating to the

9 Jan – A combined team comprising members of local Tatmadawmen, members of

local intelligence unit, Myanmar Police Force, departmental personnel and local

people destroyed 142.7 acres of poppy plantations in the valleys near Bawran

Village in Gaungbi Village-tact, Peking Village in Yene Village-tract and

Lapinlon Village in Yilonyikan Village-tract from 24 to 29 December 2003. Up to

29 December 2003, a total of 4765.37 acres of poppy plantations have been

5 Jan -The Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control held its meeting 1/2004 at

CCDAC Minister for Home Affairs Col Tin Hlaing, Minister for Labour U Tin Winn,

Minister for Health Dr Kyaw Myint, Chairmen of the Working Committee deputy

CCDAC and the Working Committee in 2003, CCDAC Chairman Minister Col Tin Hlaing

said that steps were taken with added momentum for cultivation of

poppy-substitute crops in 2003 under the 15-year narcotic drugs eradication

plans and the New Destiny Project, adding in the process, altogether 8,221

baskets of seeds of high yield paddy, maize, wheat and gram, 395,756 kilos of

seeds of hybrid paddy and maize, edible oil crops and vegetables, and 13,656

viss of seeds of kitchen crops were distributed; that 1616.6 tons of fertilizer,

765.5 litres of pesticide and 80 kilos of pesticide powder were distributed for

559,323 perennial plants; that 2175.5 acres of model cultivation plots, 76.5

acres of pilot cultivation plots were under taken and 6,017 acres of land were

reclaimed for cultivation of poppy-substitute crops; that 19,473 acres of

monsoon crops were cultivated in 2003-2004 against the targeted acres of 19,327,

accounting for 101 per cent; that 4,993 acres of winter crops were cultivated up

to 30 November against the targeted acres of 10,570, representing 47 per cent;

vaccines and treatment were given to animals in villages of the project area in

2003 and pedigree pigs were distributed to Mongpyin and Lweyon region, Monghsat

and Mongtung townships in Shan State (East), Kunhein and Homein region, Pangsan

of Wa region, Namtit, Mongmaw, Pangsaing and Dimar region in Shan State (South),

spending K 12.5 million disbursed out of the funds of the New Destiny Project;

and under the Kokang Region Livestock Breeding Project, milch cows, sheep and

poultry were distributed with the funds of the respective ministries and 0.11

Ministry of Health issued Order No 1/2003 relating to control of drugs and

psychotropic substances on 7-3-2003 to ensure the systematic control of narcotic

drugs and psychotropic substances and enable the patients in need of medicines

to buy and use medicines easily; that workshop on Order No 1/2003 was held at

the auditorium of Myanmar Medical Association, Yangon on 19-9-2003, attended by

delegates from State and Division Committees for Drug Abuse Control, heads of

State and Division Health Departments and specialists of the respective drug

lectures to and trained the basic education high school teachers in 40 projected

townships in 2003 under the SHAPE project co-sponsored by the Ministry of

Education and UNICEF; that the educative course on narcotic drugs for the basic

education teachers in Kawthoung and Bokepyin townships was conducted under

project for building of Kawthoung District Drug Free Zone and altogether 5,500

students were given lectures on scourage of drugs, AIDS, stimulant tablets and

tobacco. Similarly, the drug educative course was opened in Mandalay, attended

by the basic education teachers from three townships in Mandalay Division and

altogether 55,188 students were given educative lectures by the teachers who had

committee was able to carry out the tasks at the rehabilitation centres’t on a

regular basis in 2003 and opened the Tachilek rehabilitation centre on 9 January

2003 under the Project for building of drug free zone in border areas; that the

educative lectures were given to 25 members of the Tachilek District Anti-Drug

Association. The working committee for giving education to the public carried

out the media task relating to activities on control of drug and education

through Myanma Television, Myawady Television, MRTV-3, Myanma Motion Picture

Enterprise, News and Periodicals Enterprise, Printing and Publishing Enterprise

and Information and Public Relations Department; that three video plays on

the government distributed 6,000 bags of rice and 150 bags of salt to the

farmers who quitted cultivation of poppy in Lashio and Laukkai regions of Shan

State (North) in 2003 to fulfil their food, shelter and clothing needs; that the

four deputy ministers who made the field trips to the respective regions

themselves handed over the funds necessary out of the Work Committee for

Development of Border Areas and National Races to the farmers.

Likewise, under the arrangement of WFP and NGOs such as World Vision Care and

ADRA, 760 tons of rice worth US$ 186,000 were distributed to the farmers who are

no longer engaged in poppy cultivation in Kokang Special Region-1, Shan State

(North) in October and November 2003; that the ceremony to donate 760 tons of

rice was held at the Drug Elimination Museum in Laukkai, Kokang region on

15-11-2003 and the donation reflects that the international communities

acknowledged Myanmar’s efforts for eradication of drugs and provided necessary

Development Council enacted the Money Laundering Law on 17 June 2002 under the

Law No 6/2002; that the Ministry of Home Affairs issued the Control of Money

Laundering Rules under the Notification No 1/2003 and at the same time, the

investigation body was formed and assigned duties to conduct investigation into

the money laundering on Asia Wealth Bank and Myanmar Mayflower Bank in Myanmar.

rules on money laundering worries arose among the people and monetary

organizations. In connection with this, a press conference was held to deter

to say that CCDAC actively participated in narcotic drugs control in cooperation

with ASEAN countries and other countries including China and India in 2003. As a

result, Myanmar was chosen as a member of Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND).

Myanmar delegation attended the 46th ministerial level meeting of CND held in

Vienna, Austria from 8 to 17 April 2003. The commission agreed to choose Myanmar

as a member of CND at the meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social

Commission for Asia and the Pacific held on 29 April. The choice of Myanmar as

CND member was the first in the founding of CND since 1946. Myanmar will perform

duties for four years from 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2007. He said

altogether 109 Myanmar delegates attended the conferences on narcotic drugs

control held in foreign countries five times, seminars four times, meetings 11

times, training courses four times, workshops seven times and made study tours

included the ministerial level meeting on narcotic drugs control of Myanmar,

China, India, Thailand and Laos held in Thailand from 22 to 26 July 2003 and MoU

ministerial level meeting and senior officials meeting of six countries held in

ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Drug Matters (ASOD) from 14 to 15 October. The

meeting of ACCORD work group for ASEAN-China cooperation in anti-narcotic drugs

was held on 16 October. After the meetings arrangements were made for the

delegates to observe narcotic drugs control and regional development tasks in

enforcement officials meeting was held in Taunggyi from 10 to 11 November 2003.

Resolutions on cultivation of opium substitute crops, cooperation in control and

exchange of information were passed. Yaungkha Model Village construction project

was successfully implemented in Shan State (East). Moreover, the 16-bed hospital

officials meeting on narcotic drugs control between Myanmar and China was held

in Tachilek on 26 November 2003. The meeting discussed exchange of news of

seizures of narcotic drugs, conducting courses, purchase of products of opium

substitute crops by China, sending of follow-up news of Myanmar citizens who are

arrested in connection with narcotic drugs cases in China and assistance from

China. China was pleased to see Myanmar’s efforts for narcotic drugs control and

provided 500,000 yuan and handed over two vehicles for use in narcotic drugs

control in Chinshwe-haw. Myanmar has handed over 22 culprits who were wanted in

China for their involvement in narcotic drugs since 2001. Myanmar is

participating in control of paraphernalia in cooperation with India, China, Laos

and Thailand. The meeting on control of paraphernalia of Myan-mar, China and

India was held in Yangon and the meeting agreed to enhance control of carrying

survey beginning 1996 in cooperation with the US. As a result, cultivation and

production of opium decreased. Poppy cultivation in Myanmar dropped by 26 per

cent from 105,000 hectares in 2001 to 77,700 hectares in 2002. Poppy cultivation

also decreased by 39 per cent to 47,134 hactares in 2003. Poppy production was

630 tons in 2002 and 484 tons in 2003. According to the ground data collection

of poppy cultivation conducted in cooperation with UNODC poppy cultivation was

81,400 hactares in 2002 and 62,200 hactares in 2003. This indicates 24 per cent

decrease in poppy cultivation. Poppy production decreased from 828 tons to 810

tons. This shows that poppy cultivation and production in Myanmar is decreasing,

according to the results of opium yield survey conducted in cooperation with the

collection will be made in cooperation with UNODC this year to expose illegal

poppy plantations in 18 townships in Taunggyi zone of Shan State (South), nine

townships in Kengtung zone of Shan State (East), six townships in Lashio zone of

Shan State (North), 6 townships in Wa special region, and other Wa targeted

zones. Training was provided to members the operation teams in respective zones

starting from 1 January. The outcome of endeavours made by the respective work

committees of the CCDAC in 2003 was encouraging. The 2003-2004 fiscal year is

the last fiscal year of the first 5-year period of the 15-year plan for narcotic

drugs eradication. Therefore, efforts are to be made with added momentum to

Winn also took part in the discussions. He said after drawing up the New Destiny

Project for eradication of poppy cultivation, the team made up of four deputy

ministers conducted field tour of project areas, giving supervision and

attending to the requirements. As a result, the cultivation of poppy was on the

decline. However, steps are to be taken to make a plan for a field trip to solve

the ongoing problem of stimulant tablets produced with chemicals. Efforts are to

be made to render assistance to the establishment of drug rehabilitation centres

in Tachilek as well as in Myawady and Kawthoung, and to fulfil the food,

clothing and shelter needs of farmers who no longer engage in cultivation of

poppy. Care should be taken to obtain precise data concerning the poppy

cultivation so as to release correct news. Minister for Health Dr Kyaw Myint

reported on tasks carried out for drug addicts treatment in Tachilek, Myawady

and Kawthoung in 2003 and arrangements made for opening a drug addicts treatment

Myanmar Police Force Brig-Gen Khin Yi reported on progress made in the

implementation of the resolutions of the CCDAC’s meeting No 3/2003 held on 9

October 2003. The chairmen of the work committees of the CCDAC and those present

at the meeting also reported on tasks being carried out by their respective work

committees and future tasks. Afterwards, the meeting ended with the concluding