BP: ARCOTICS / SPECIAL ANTI-DRUG SE

[suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

June 8, 1998


                                     



               NARCOTICS / SPECIAL ANTI-DRUG SESSION AT
                             UNITED NATIONS

              Burma likely to
              escape the bricks

              The United States and other rich
              countries have always been weak in
              their demand for a serious suppression
              drive in developing countries

              Nusara Thaitawat

              Burma is not expected to come under harsh criticism - at least
              not alone - at a special anti-drug session of the UN General
              Assembly which opens today in New York.

              Afghanistan, whose internal political conflicts have hampered
              anti-drug efforts is the second largest producer of opium and
              heroin after Burma. Its primary market is Europe, both western
              and the former "east bloc" countries.

              The European Union on the other hand is notoriously more
              concerned about protecting its chemical industry's trade secrets
              amid international efforts to stop the divergence of precursor
              chemicals needed to produce illicit drugs.

              The United States and other rich consumer countries have
              always been weak in their demand for a serious suppression
              drive in developing countries where most of the illicit drugs are
              produced.

              Burmese authorities insist that theirs is a "realistic" approach to
              resolving the drugs problem, according to an official booklet
              released in March 1998 by the Office of Strategic Studies,
              Ministry of Defence.

              "The US prosecuted former Panamanian strongman Gen
              Noriega and Colombia's Medellin cartel boss Escobar as a great
              public relations showcase... but did it stop or reduce the flow of
              drugs into the US from those two countries?" the booklet's
              author Lt Col Hla Min asked.

              Burma's "strategy" was to disband Khun Sa's army after his
              surrender, return them to their villages and assist their
              reintegration as "normal citizens" while his top aides were taken
              under government control.

              Burmese authorities have also concluded cease-fire agreements
              with armed ethnic groups involved in the drug trade to
              complement the government's policy against drug suppression
              and developing the region.

              "Pressuring others to accept and use methods which have
              undeniably failed in the past and constantly put the blame solely
              on a small developing nation already being victimised by past
              colonial rule and overwhelming superpower actions will definitely
              not help in our fight to suppress the narcotics trade.

              "On top of it, in Myanmar's case the US government's
              unreasonable refusal to recognise the anti-narcotics activities and
              efforts of the drug-producing countries and at the same time not
              doing and also caring enough to stop or at least curb the
              consumer or demand-side are also excruciatingly unrealistic and
              foolhardy," said Lt Col Hla Min.

              The US State Department's annual Report on International
              Narcotics Control Strategy for 1997, released last March
              estimated 155,150 hectares were under opium poppy cultivation
              in Burma, which could yield up to 2,365 metric tons of opium
              gum, enough to produce some 197 metric tons of heroin.

              Burma has been the world's biggest producer for many years, its
              production doubled in 1989 when the State Law and Order
              Restoration Council, now known as the State Peace and
              Development Council, took power.

              The report also said that the cease-fire agreements which the
              Burmese government concluded with armed ethnic minority
              armies such as the United Wa State Army and the Myanmar
              National Democratic Alliance Army (Kokang Chinese) "appear"
              to have given them "a free hand to continue their trade."

              Sai Lin (whose Chinese name is Lin Mingxian) of the Eastern
              Shan State Army topped the list of ethnic leaders whose groups,
              the US government believes, is involved in the heroin and/or
              amphetamine trade.

              Money laundering and the return of narcotics profits laundered
              elsewhere is a significant factor in the overall Burmese economy,
              the report also said.

              An increasing number of drug experts in the region confirmed
              that since the middle of last year, Burma has shown "seriousness"
              in fighting drugs and that world pressure so far has hurt the
              international community more than Burma.

              "That amount of energy that has gone into international pressure
              does not equal the amount of result," said Richard Dickins,
              recently appointed UN Interantional Drug Control Programme
              representative in Rangoon.

              "Had the donor countries taken a strict but a more benevolent
              position they would have achieved a lot by now. They have to a
              degree hurt themselves because by isolating Burma, they have
              contributed to maintaining the drug problem," he said, during a
              recent interview.

              While agreeing there needs to be some pressure, Mr Dickins
              said so far "the tactics have been too strong, Burma also needs
              to be encouraged to change, if you're too harsh then it does
              backfire."

              He stressed that the efforts being made by Burmese authorities
              must not be looked at as static but as a start of a potentially
              successful anti-drugs efforts which take time to show results, just
              like Thailand 20-30 years ago.

              "The ceasefires are a start. Ten years ago there was no thought
              of that, they were just fighting. They have moved to ceasefires,
              they may not be perfect, but they are a start.

              "Nothing is frozen, you have to look ahead ten years and there
              will be at least equal movement," he said.

              For Thailand, which suffers directly from Burma's drug problems
              with millions of amphetamine tablets literally flowing into the
              country each year, "Burma is doing its best," according to both
              the Secretary General of the Office of Narcotics Control Board
              and its deputy in charge of suppression.

              Kitti Limchaikit, ONCB deputy secretary general explained
              during a recent interview that the change of attitude came after
              the Burmese military government managed to tackle its ethnic
              minority problems.

              "For the Burmese government political stability is the priority,
              drugs control comes later. If the two can go hand in hand, then
              fine but if a choice is to be made, it will be political stability," he
              said.

              But though some ethnic conflicts still remain today the last big
              hurdle was removed when Khun Sa gave himself up in 1996.

              The Burmese government spent another year tackling the
              remaining pockets of ethnic conflicts before moving ahead by
              renaming itself from the authority aimed to "restore law and
              order" to "development and peace."

              Cooperation with Thailand, initiated under the first Anand
              Panyarachun government in 1991 got off to a slow start because
              of the lack of confidence. Now, Burmese authorities raid
              amphetamine factories on their border following tips from their
              Thai counterparts. "They have cooperated with us most of the
              time, except when the terrain is too difficult," said Mr Kitti.

              An informed source said that in a desperate move to stop the
              flow of amphetamines into the country, Thai authorities even
              offered Burmese forces use of Thai territory to raid the factories,
              but they have so far not answered.

              Burma has pledged to eradicate opium production by 2012 and
              claims that with international assistance it could achieve that goal
              in a decade's time.




                                     




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