28/2/99:AUSSIE AMBASSADOR WANTS POS

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28/02/99: THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN/FITHT HERION IN BURMA:ENVOY
02/03/99: AAP/HOWARD FLAGS MORE POLICE IN ASIA IN DRUG CRACKDOWN
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THE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN 27-28/2/99
FIGHT HERIOIN IN BURMA: ENVOY

PETER ALFORD (Southeast Asia correspondent in Bangkok)

Australia should consider posting anti-drug officers to Rangoon to
bolster its fight against narcotics exports from Burma, says ambassador
Lyndall Mclean.

Commenting on this week's controversial Interpol herion conference in
Rangoon, Ms Mclean said her personal view was that Canberra should
consider stationing Australian Federal Police or Customs officders in
Burma.

"Of course there are many factors to be considered, not the least of
them budgetary,"she told The Australian yesterday.

The US Drug Enforcement Agency(DEA) is the only foreign anti-narcotics
body with a presence in Burma, but Ms McLean said she was confident the
State Peace and Development Council regime would welcome such assistance
from Australia. She said that though the US boycotted the Interpol
conference (along with every other developed country except Australia,
Japan, Switzerland and New Zealand) both the Americans and the Burmese
had found the DEA's presence "beneficial" in the anti-narcotics
campaign.

Despite the international boycott led by the US and European Union, who
argued the conference would  become alibi for the regime's inadequate
efforts to suppress Burma's massive drags trade, Ms Mclean said all
delegates seemed satisfied with the outcome.

"All of the delegates and all of us who are here realise a lot more
needs to be done, to maintain the pressure and for an even greater
effort, but essentially we're supportive."

Ms McLean, a key figure in internaitonal efforts to open communications
between the regime and Aung San Suu Kyi';s National League for
Democracy, said she would soon meet the opposition leader to explain
LAustralia's representation at the conference.

Ms Suu Kyi criticised Australia on Thursday for underminig the boycott
and questioned "what benefits they hope to get from this".

The Ambassador said she would reassure Ms Suu Kyi that Australia's
commitment to human rights and democratic reform in Burma remained
paramount but that the narcotics trade was regarded as an apolitical
problem that required regional co-operation.

AAP 2/3/99
HOWARD FLAGS MORE POLICE IN ASIA IN DRUG CRACKDOWN

ADELAIDE, March 2 AAP-- Prime Minister John Howard today suggested more
Australian police could be posted to Asian countries to crack down on
the herion trade.

In Adelaide for a federal cabinet meeting at which the government's
drugs strategy is expected to be discussed, Mr Howard said the
government had already announced it would post 16 agents in countries
such as Thailand and Burma.

"I'm open minded about additions to that," he told radio 5AA.

"The stationing of our own police officers in source countries or near
the source countries or transit countries is a very important element of
catching people who are importing this stuff."

Mr Howard said he had spoken to Australian Federal Police Commissioner
Mick Palmer about the Asian postings when they met last Friday.

But then again expressed his opposition to a herion trial, saying it
would give conflicting signals about the use of herioin and had not been
demonstrated to be sucessful anywhere in the world.

"I don't believe that the answer is to embrace something which has not
been demonstrated anywhere else in the world to have been successful and
does involve sending that conflicting signal," he said.

Mr Howard has come under pressure from doctors and two conservative
state governments to allow the trial to go ahead.

State and territory leaders are expected to discuss their views at a
meeting in Melbourne on Friday ahead of next month's Premiers Conference
in Canberra which Mr Howard has promised will contain a special debate
on drugs.

AAP sn/it/de
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