BBC-Burma criticises west on drugs

[tinkyi@xxxxxxx]

Wednesday, February 10, 1999 Published at 12:16 GMT
World: Asia-Pacific

Burma criticises west on drugs

The Burmese government has criticised the United States and Britain for
refusing to send delegates to an international drugs conference in its
capital, Rangoon, later this month.

The conference from February the twenty third to the twenty sixth has been
organised by the international police organisation, Interpol, but it's been
overshadowed by a boycott by a number of countries.

The Burmese government called on Britain and the US to put politics aside
for the sake of millions of people worldwide threatened by the drugs trade.

Burma is one of the world's largest heroin producers, and western
governments have criticised its efforts to curb the trade.

>From the newsroom of the BBC World Service