Information Sheet NO.A. 0817(I)

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                                    MYANMAR INFORMATION COMMITTEE
                                                          YANGON 
                                                     Information Sheet 
                                  NO.A. 0817(I)                   26 February
1999

(1) 		Senior General Than Shwe Receives Singaporean Ministers
		Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council Commander-in-Chief of
Defence Services Senior General Than Shwe received high-ranking economic
delegation of Singapore led by Minister for Trade and Industry Mr. Lee Yock
Suan, Minister for Communications Mr. Mah Bow Tan and Minister of National
Development Mr. Lim Hng Kiang at Dagon Yeiktha of the Ministry of Defence on
25 February.
(2)		Secretary-1 Receives Minister of Education of LPDR
		Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt
received Minister of Education Mr. Phimmasone Leuangkhamma of Lao People's
Democratic Republic and party who called at Dagon Yeiktha of the Ministry of
Defence on 25 February.
(3)		Indian Foreign Secretary and Delegation  Arrive 
		At the invitation of Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Union of
Myanmar, Mr. K Raghunath, Foreign Secretary of Ministry of External Affairs of
the Republic of India, and members of India delegation arrived Yangon by air
on 25 February morning to pay an official visit to Myanmar. In the afternoon,
the Indian Foreign Secretary paid a courtesy call on Minister for Foreign
Affairs U Win Aung. Later, bilateral talks between Myanmar delegation led by
Deputy Minister and Indian delegation led by Foreign Secretary Mr. K Raghunath
were held.  Afterwards, Foreign Secretary Mr. K Raghunath and delegation paid
a courtesy call on Minister for Home Affairs. 
(4)		Fourth International Heroin Conference Concludes Successfully
		The Fourth International Heroin Conference sponsored by Interpol was held
for the final day at the International Business Centre on 25 February, and the
conference successfully concluded in the afternoon with the closing speech by
Secretary of the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control Dir-Gen of Myanmar
Police Force. Present on the occasion were totalling 74 from 28 countries.
		Police Dir-Ge chaired the conference with Drug Control Bureau of Thailand
Police Force Police Maj-Gen Viraj Jutimitta as co-chairman. Director of the
Office of CCDAC Police Col Hkam Aung and Deputy Section Chief of International

Cooperation Division of Drug Enforcement Department MPS Mr Daoming Zhang
discussed matters related to precursor  chemicals. UNDCP Law Enforcement
Adviser Mr. Yngve Danling discussed UNDCP's involvement in regional and
international cooperation.  Police Attache Mr. Bruce Edward Hill of Australian
Embassy based in Bangkok, Director of ONCB (Office of Narcotics Control Board)
of Thailand Mr. Chartchai Suthiklom, Deputy  Director for Operation of
Narcotics Group of the Philippines Police Force Ms. Evna Jalbubna Ruiz
discussed matters pertaining to regional and international cooperation in drug
control. First Secretary (Customs) of Australian Embassy based in Tokyo Mr.
David Turner explained matters related to drug problem of Australia. Police
Lt-Col Mr. Haidar A Alhaidar of Saudi Arabia discussed matters pertaining to
narcotic drug problem of Saudi Arabia.  Delegate of Tanzania Mr. Dickson
Zakaria Mroki, Principal Collector, Collector in Charge of Anti-Drug Unit,
discussed matters related to narcotic drug problem of Tanzania. Delegates of
other nations took part in the discussions.  Assistant Director of Interpol
Mr. Ian Bain made a speech. Later Director of Interpol Mr. Paul Higdon thanked
the delegates. The conference concluded at 3.30 pm. In the evening, Police
Dir-Gen hosted a dinner in honour of delegates of the conference at Mya Yeik
Nyo Royal Hotel.
		This morning local and foreign news media, participants of the Fourth
International Heroin Conference and other invited guests went for a visit to
some part of North Eastern Shan State to observe the poppy eradication
projects being implemented in those areas. 
5)		News Briefing on Fourth International Heroin Conference
		A news briefing on the Fourth International Heroin Conference was held at
International Business Centre on 25 February. First, Police Dir- Gen explained
the 10 points recommended by Interpol to member nations. Director Mr. Paul
Higdon of ICPO, Assistant Director Mr. Ian Bain and Col Kyaw Thein of CCDAC
answered queries raised by journalists. They said boycotting the conference
will have no good benefits. The conference offered opportunities to exchange
views, facts and experiences on anti-drug activities. Myanmar's determination
to effectively eradicate the narcotics is clear. It is obvious that with or
without outside assistance Myanmar will continue its anti-drug programmes.
Interpol officials have belief in Myanmar's anti-drug activities as they had
witnessed them. They had the opportunity to know Myanmar's keen interest in
eradicating poppy cultivation, opium refining and trafficking with political
will. They expressed  satisfaction in seeing Myanmar's anti-drug activities.  
		The conference is the venue where police officers of numerous nations
exchanged views, ideas, facts and experience on anti-drug programmes. Myanmar
showed her full cooperation with international community by hosting the
conference. Exchange of experiences, views and ideas by the experts at the
conference assisted Myanmar's narcotics eradication activities. It is totally
wrong to say poppy cultivation acres increased in Myanmar this year. Previous
figures are not the cultivated areas but the poppy cultivated areas that were

destroyed. Base line data collection started in the previous year.  Officials
also said heroin was not produced from methamphetamine tablets but from
chemicals.  Narcotic drugs trafficking will continue to thrive as long as it
is a lucrative business. Drug traffickers will face difficulties in the future
due to cooperation of nations in the region. U Kyaw Min, a journalist, said he
has worked as a journalist for nearly 40 years. He will present suggestions.
As said by Director Mr. Paul Higdon, Myanmar will continue to crush narcotics
with or without foreign assistance. He said in the course of 40 years of
writing on the fight against hard drugs he had come across a reference book,
"The politics of heroin in SEA" which suggested that with the introduction of
opium into Myanmar and the arrival of Kunmington, Chiang Kaishek troops who
lost out in China, stragglers were brought into Myanmar, it worsened the
situation, he said.  It is hypocritical  for those to talk about what's going
on now.  He said he felt the politics of heroin or for that matter
amphetamine is still very much present.  He said he would like to ask Mr.
Higdon and his colleagues to carry the message across to those who were
absent. The news briefing ended at 4.30 pm.
(6)		Deputy Chief of OSS Hosts Dinner for Foreign Correspondents
		Deputy Chief of the Office of Strategic Studies and Deputy Director of
Defence Services Intelligence hosted dinner in honour of members of Foreign
Correspondents Club  and correspondents of foreign news agencies who are
currently in Yangon at Karaweik Palace at 7 pm. on 25 February.
(7)		CCDAC's 13th Narcotic Drug Destruction and News Briefing Held
		The 13th ceremony to destroy seized narcotic drugs was held by the CCDAC in
the compound of Aungthabye Yeyeiktha in Mayangon Township, Yangon at 8 am on
25 February.  Later on, CCDAC held a news briefing about the 13th narcotic
drug destruction. It was attended by Managing Director of News and Periodicals
Enterprise, Foreign Correspondents Club members, foreign and local
journalists, reporters from foreign news agencies who are currently in Yangon,
military attaches, CCDAC members and officials. In replying to the questions,
it is noted that amphetamine was first found in Myanmar at the end of 1996.
Stimulants and chemicals were seized beginning  in the later periods of 1996.
Myanmar never produces chemicals that are used in manufacturing stimulant
tablets such as methamphetamine. The chemical agents arrived in Myanmar from
other countries. Illegal drug trafficking routes are at the border areas of
Myanmar.  It is difficult to seize these drugs because transport is too
difficult in those border areas. It is also very difficult to control these
drugs. Taking this situation as an opportunity some are trafficking precursor
chemicals used in refining narcotics in border areas. There might be factories
producing stimulant tablets in Myanmar's territory. These factories are
installed with small and light equipment which can be moved from place to
place very easily.  Production and trafficking of stimulant drugs can be found
also in other countries. These drugs can be manufactured everywhere. Factories

producing stimulant drug can be destroyed and built easily. These can also be
relocated easily. Owing to these conditions, stimulant tablets are difficult
to seize.  According to 1997-98 records, of the poppy cultivated areas of
150,000 acres in Myanmar, 49,000 acres had been destroyed. Opium production
could be reduced to 25 percent of the total annual production. The nation has
extended its opium reduction tasks this year. Data collection of these tasks
will be completed this June. This is the second stage. Data collection will be
conducted from January to June.  According to the  first data collection,
destroyed fields were not put under poppy again this year.  
		Education campaigns are being launched for those who had cultivated poppy to
earn their living by other means. Opium substitute crops are being planted in
some regions. Especially in Kokang region, buckwheat is being cultivated as a
substitute crop with the assistance of Japan. Before Khun Sa came into the
legal fold, the government's first priority was to assign the Armed Forces to
annihilate him.  But what happened in 1996 was Khun Sa's decision to offer
himself up to the government. This helped in a lot of ways for the present
government to make more efforts on the narcotic countermeasures.  After his
coming in, he is living under the supervision of the government. After his
coming in, the government has been able to control the areas on the east of
Thanlwin River. His decision was not  one-man show and he brought along with
him his followers numbering more than 15,000. His followers had also brought
in their arms which included sophisticated Sam-7 missiles and all the heavy
weapons plus millions of rounds of ammunition for small arms and thousands of
anti-personnel mines. Instead of rendering assistance to Myanmar, adviser of
former President Carter provided assistance to troops of Khun Sa. As Khun Sa
had unconditionally come in, in accord with the rules set by the government,
narcotics eradication activities are gaining success. All  the narcotic drug
activities of Khun Sa had ended at present, reducing the amount of drugs
entering international markets.
(8)		4th International Heroin Conference Adopts Ten Recommendations
		Having exchanged all necessary informatin, expertise and experience
regarding the illicit production and trafficking of heroin and other related
matters, the 4th International Heroin Conference  organized by ICPO-Interpol
General Secretariat and hosted by the Government of Myanmar at Yangon on 23-26
February 1999, urges governments of all the Interpol member countries to:
(1)	continue to consider drug abuse and trafficking as a serious  threat to
the social, economic and 		moral development of their societies;
(2)	provide all necessary administrative, legal and material support to their
drug control agencies;
(3)	adopt balanced strategies regarding the reduction in supply of and demand
for illicit drugs;
(4)	modify, if necessary, their drug-related laws, particularly in respect of
money laundering to bring 		them in conformity with the provisions of the 1988
UN Convention on Illicit Traffic in Narcotic 			Drugs and Psychotropic

Substances;
(5)	take all necessary measures including appropriate legislation and vigorous
law enforcement to 			prevent the diversion into illegal channels of the
chemicals and precursors frequently used in the 		illicit production of
narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances;
(6)	expand and consolidate co-operation among their law enforcement agencies
on a regional as well 		as international level especially in the areas of the
exchange of drug-related intelligence, training, 		judicial assistance,
extradition control deliveries, immigration processing system;
(7)	make, for their fight against the heroin traffickers, greater use of the
Interpol facilities including 		its modern and safe communications system and
computerized criminal records;
(8)	call upon the Interpol General Secretariat Drug-Sub Directorate to
especially focus on heroin-			related activities of the organized criminal
groups and collect, collate, analyse and disseminate  		all possible
information regarding  their  cross-border alliances, criminal networks,
sources of raw 		material, places of manufacture, means of transportation,
modus operandi, assets, investments, 		etc;
(9)	appreciate the need and usefulness of the alternative development in the
opium poppy producer 		countries and invite the world financial institutions
and the international organizations concerned 		to contribute liberally to the
successful execution of the alternative development  plans;
(10)	effect greater co-ordination in their struggle against the drug problem
by adopting positive policies 		and practices based on enhanced understanding
of each other's problems and difficulties, shared 		responsibility and strict
respect for sovereignty.

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