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Myanmar Makes Remarkable Achievements in Drug Fight
The "Golden Triangle" area bordering Myanmar, Thailand and Laos is the main base where opium
and heroin are produced. For many years, narcotic drugs have not only run rampant there
but also been illegally smuggled to every part of the world.
In face of the grave danger brought to Myanmar and the international community, Myanmar has launched anti-drug battles year by year and has scored remarkable achievements.
According to the figures released by Myanmar's Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC), during the 12 years between 1988 and 1999 and with the cooperation of its army units,
police force and customs departments, Myanmar exposed over 50,000 drug-related cases, arrested over 70,000 drug offenders, seized 29,833 kilos of opium, 4,448 kilos of heroin, 6,880 kilos of
marijuana, 503,528 liters of precursor chemicals and 55.89 million tablets of stimulants, and destroyed 110 heroin refineries.
In addition, during the period, Myanmar also destroyed 37,379 hectares of poppy cultivation, resulting in reduction of 400 tons of opium output annually.
Of the 32,794 kilos of drugs destroyed, heroin accounted for 3,679 kilos, while opium represented 23,646 kilos. The destruction also included 24.26 million tablets of stimulant drugs.
In April 1997, there established a "drug-free" zone in Mongla region, eastern part of Shan state.
According to official statistics, there is now a total of 86,537 drug addicts in Myanmar. To help them give up drug addictions and regain health, the Myanmar government has set up six treatment centers in Yangon, Mandalay, Myitkyina,Taunggyi, Lashio and Kyaing Tong, catering to 2,000 addicts annually.
In addition, the country also established eight rehabilitation centers under the Social Welfare Department for ex-addicts.
Due to efforts of years, Myanmar's poppy cultivated area and drug production dropped markedly. The Myanmar CCDAC said, in 1999, the country's poppy cultivated area reduced by 31 percent as
compared with 1998, while its drug production dropped by 38 percent from the same year.
To demonstrate its achievement made in drug control and to educate people on the danger of drugs and to stay away from them, Myanmar is building two drug control museums.
Up to now, Myanmar has reached memorandums of understanding on regional drug control action plan with China, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. It also signed agreements on bilateral
cooperation in drug control with India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Russia and the Philippines.
Another measure is increasing of investment in drug-cultivating and producing border areas and minorities-inhabited areas to raise their living standard and change their traditional way of
livelihood which depends on drug cultivation.
Although Myanmar has made big achievements in drug eradication, due to domestic security and problems in international assistance, the success is not as anticipated.
Myanmar has started in 1999 implementing a 15-year plan worth 255 million U.S. dollars, aimed at total elimination of drugs covering 51 cultivating and producing townships.
In order to realize the aim as early as possible, Myanmar has urged the international community to enhance cooperation, and moreover, to further extend aid.
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