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News from India (r)
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MYANMAR STUDENTS DEPLORE ASEAN MOVE
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FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT
Imphal, June 18: The All Burma Students' League, (ABSL),
which supports democracy in Myanmar, has deplored the
decision to admit the military junta of Myanmar in the
ASEAN. In a statement issued by the Myanmarese students in
Imphal recently, they charged the ruling State Law and
Order Restoration Council (SLORC) of Myanmar with
sponsoring drug peddling and poppy cultivation in the
country.
The All Burma Students' League condemned the human rights
violations by the military junta and said that the SLORC
has discovered the ability of heroin to drug the
pro-democracy forces, particularly students and youths.
According to the All Burma Students' league, heroin
production in Myanmar constitutes 80 per cent of Asia's
production and 60 per cent of the world's pro-duction.
Quoting a State Department report of the USA, the dissident
students said that Myanmar produced 2,300 metric tonnes of
opium in 1995 while Afghanistan, which came next in the
list, produced only 1,250 metric tonnes that year.
The US report also said that 1,85,000 hectares of land are
under poppy cultivation in Myanmar and it produces 185
metric tonnes of heroin annually. It exports 170 metric
tonnes out of this to other countries, particularly the
West.
The All Burma Students' League has accused the Yangon
military junta for sponsoring poppy cultivation and heroin
production in Myanmar, resulting in increasing numbers of
drug addicts. Till now, there were 57,000 drug addicts
registered in the drug de-addiction centres in Myanmar. But
the actual number of addicts in said to be higher.
The areas worst affected by drugs were Lasho, Muse,
Kutkhai, Mongla, Shweli, Pansan, Panyan, Hopan, parts of
Shan state and the jade and gold mines of Kachin state.
Workers in the jade and gold mines were paid brown opium or
heroin as daily wages.
This January, the ruling SLORC government destroyed 1,961
kg of heroin, worth about US $53 million, in the domestic
market. However, dissident leaders alleged that it was
state-managed by the military government to garner
political mileage and pursue diplomatic relations with
other countries.
Though the Myanmar government is claiming to be against
drugs, cheap opium is easily available there. According to
the All Burma Students' League, heroin is widely available
with street vendors and paan shops in Myanmar, at the rate
of 25 Kyats for a single dose, which is equivalent to the
price of two cups of tea.
Dissident political leaders and students of Myanmar said
that opium cultivation has spread to many parts of Myanmar,
particularly the hilly terrain, after the SLORC came to
power. Initially, though, it was restricted to the infamous
Golden Triangle.
Apart from the Shan and Kachin States, intensive opium
cultivation has been taken up in Mindut, Matupim, Tiddim
and Tonzan townships in the Chin hills and in Nanyun and
Lahe in the Naga hills. An unofficial estimate said half
the cities and towns of north and northeastern Myanmar have
at least one heroin refinery each.
The All Burma Students' League said that there were
confirmed reports that a heroin refinery had been set up in
both Hommalin and Tarhan in western Burma. Hommalin is
well-connected to Tamu town, which lies just across the
Indian border town of Moreh.
The statement further said that the Palong National
Organization (PNO) had reached a cease-fire agreement with
the SLORC in 1990, under which the PNO was allowed to
cultivate opium in the Mentong region in northwest Shan
state. The PNO leader, Mr Ike Phone, monopolized the
production of opium, which was smuggled out to other Asian
countries. The All Burma Students' League has described
this as a clear example of the involvement of the SLORC in
the illegal trade.
The SLORC also reached a cease-fire agreement in 1989 with
drug warlords and heroin producing ethnic groups, for
maintaining peace in the country. But the military
government allowed them to continue their illegal trade. It
also reached an agreement with the infamous drug cartel of
Khun Sa alias Cheng Chifu, who is now believed to be in
Yangon.
Telegraph Thursday 19 June 1997
News and Information Bureau, All Burma Students League
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