SUBSTANCE ABUSE IN BURMA

[moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Substance Abuse in Burma 
Wall Street Journal; New York; Feb 26, 1999; 

Edition: 
             Eastern edition
Column Name: 
             REVIEW & OUTLOOK (Editorial)
Start Page: 
             A14
ISSN: 
             00999660

Abstract:
Holding an Interpol conference on heroin trafficking in Rangoon was
certainly a novel
idea. Apparently someone at the international police organization figured
that if you
want to talk about heroin why not do it in a country where a large chunk of
the
world's supply originates.

But it also is easy to see why some of the stalwarts of Interpol, which
facilitates
cooperation among police organizations around the world, chose to sit this
one out.
The U.S., Britain and France, among others, didn't think it very appropriate
to dignify
the Rangoon regime with a conference of this sort. Not only is the military
regime's
human rights record one of the worst in Asia, but there are plenty of
reasons to
doubt its sincerity when it says it wants to cooperate with international drug
enforcers.

Full Text:
Copyright Dow Jones & Company Inc Feb 26, 1999


Holding an Interpol conference on heroin trafficking in Rangoon was
certainly a novel idea.
Apparently someone at the international police organization figured that if
you want to talk about
heroin why not do it in a country where a large chunk of the world's supply
originates.

But it also is easy to see why some of the stalwarts of Interpol, which
facilitates cooperation
among police organizations around the world, chose to sit this one out. The
U.S., Britain and
France, among others, didn't think it very appropriate to dignify the
Rangoon regime with a
conference of this sort. Not only is the military regime's human rights
record one of the worst in
Asia, but there are plenty of reasons to doubt its sincerity when it says it
wants to cooperate with
international drug enforcers.

Given the Burmese government's effectiveness in suppressing political
opposition, who can doubt
that it could be almost equally as effective in patrolling the poppy fields,
rounding up the country's
drug kingpins and putting them out of action. That is, if it wanted to. If
Interpol thinks it has some
evidence that such an effort is being made, it should share that information
with the rest of us.

Certainly, the statistics don't show any diminution of the heroin flow out
of the Golden Triangle
region that for years has been a major source for the world. There is
widespread speculation that
much of the heroin and other drugs from Burma move northward into China
these days, for
distribution into the illicit channels that get it to users in Europe and
North America, not to
mention Asia.

The Western countries who stayed away this week had good reason to believe
that Rangoon
wanted the conference not just as a badge of honor and recognition for the
regime, but more
importantly as a forum at which it could direct blame for the drug trade
away from producing
countries to the consuming countries. Indeed, that was precisely the line
taken by Burma's
Minister of Home Affairs, Colonel Tin Hlaing, at an opening address to the
conference. "These
huge markets fuel a global narcotics trade which threatens to affect many
countries in the
developing world, including Myanmar," he said, referring to Burma by its
modern name.

There is, unfortunately, enough truth in his statement to give it sting.
Without doubt, the U.S.
under President Bill Clinton has made only a weak effort to continue the
efforts to educate young
people about the evils of drugs that were begun in the Reagan
Administration. Certainly, both the
U.S. and Britain could be doing more to discourage use.

But this charge is also a cop-out for Burma. Attracting the Interpol meeting
was another gambit
in the charm offensive the regime has been running. But it will be truly
surprising if any pledges of
cooperation that may be made there are ever fulfilled. Inexplicable economic
statistics and a host
of other pointers now strongly support the allegation that narco-dollars
help sustain the regime
and its operations. That is just another reason to believe that whatever
happens in Rangoon this
week, Burmese overtures are not likely to have substance, but rather are
more on the order of
substance abuse.