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Reuters-FOCUS-Myanmar, Thailand agr



Subject: Reuters-FOCUS-Myanmar, Thailand agree to fight drugs

FOCUS-Myanmar, Thailand agree to fight drugs
06:51 a.m. Mar 08, 1999 Eastern
By Sutin Wannabovorn

CHIANG RAI, Thailand, March 8 (Reuters) - Myanmar, one of he world's leading
producers of heroin, and neighbouring Thailand said on Monday they had
agreed to a joint war against narcotics trafficking and drug kingpins.

In making the announcement, Myanmar's Foreign Minister Win Aung also
defended the failure of his government to prosecute some of his country's
most notorious drug traffickers.

``Now our two governments are determined to take action against drug
traffickers and announce now that we are going to do that,'' he told
reporters. ``We are now declaring war against narcotics and against the
traffickers and the two countries will work closely on our joint efforts.''

His counterpart Surin Pitsuwan said: ``We agreed to cooperate with each
other in order to resolve the drug problem ... and agreed on mutual support
to each other on eradication of the problem.''

Speaking after talks between Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai and visiting
Myanmar leader Senior General Than Shwe in this northern province, Win Aung
said the two had agreed to set up a committee for joint eradication efforts.

``Thailand pledged to support our 15-year drug eradication programme and we
agreed on short-term suppression of amphetamine producing and trafficking
along the border,'' he said.

The United Nations has said Myanmar's opium eradication timetable is too
slow while the United States has criticised Yangon for protecting drug lords
and said it must do more to stem the flow of drugs.

Win Aung said he regretted the U.S. criticism and defended the failure to
prosecute men like Khun Sa, one of the most notorious of the Golden Triangle
drug lords, who agreed to peace terms with Yangon in 1996.

``Khun Sa has surrendered and he is out of the drugs business,'' he said.
``We cannot be harsh on those who surrender.''

Win Aung said that in talks with Chuan, Than Shwe expressed interest in
Thailand's crop substitution programme, which Washington has called one of
the most effective in the world.

``Of course we cannot copy everything,'' he said, ``but we will do the best
we can with cooperation from our Thai friends.''


Win Aung praised the meeting's fruitfulness, saying it also resulted in an
agreement on joint patrols to help resolve a maritime row that has claimed
several lives.

``Our prime minister said that we are not only neighbours now, but family
members,'' he said.

Surin was less effusive but said Thailand appreciated Myanmar's drug
eradication efforts and expressed optimism about future relations.

``I think they will improve and the sense of mistrust is beginning to
decline,'' he told reporters.

Thailand went into the meeting making clear it wanted action to stem a flood
of heroin and amphetamines from factories in Myanmar, which Thai political
and military leaders have called the biggest single threat to national
security.

To make its point, it chose as a venue one of its much-praised
crop-substitution projects at Doi Tung on the edge of the ``Golden
Triangle'' opium-growing region that straddles the borders of Myanmar, Laos
and Thailand.

Than Shwe's visit was the first on a bilateral basis by a Myanmar leader
since Myanmar troops crushed a democracy uprising in 1988, provoking
widespread international condemnation.

Myanmar dissidents in exile in Thailand criticised the visit and a group of
about 15 briefly shouted slogans outside Thailand's government house, where
Chuan was to host a dinner for Than Shwe.