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THAILAND/BURMA/DRUGS



       Monday, March 8, 1999 Published at 13:08 GMT 

BBC
             World: Asia-Pacific

             Thailand and Burma agree
             on anti-drugs drive 



             Burma and Thailand have agreed to work together to
             eradicate drug-trafficking from their Golden Triangle
             border area. 

             The announcement follows talks in northern Thailand
             between the Burmese military leader, General Than
             Shwe, and the Thai prime minister, Chuan Leekpai - with
             the Burmese rejecting American criticism that they've
             been protecting the drug bosses. In a BBC interview, a
             Thai spokesman emphasised the need to tackle
             production of amphetamines -- a major concern in
             Thailand where their abuse in schools is a growing
             problem. It's the first such visit to Thailand by a Burmese
             military leader since the bloody suppression of
             pro-democracy protests in Burma more than ten years
             ago. Democracy activists have denounced the two-day
             trip as an image-building exercise by the junta to gloss
             over its human rights record. 

             From the newsroom of the BBC World Service