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Major Myanmar Drug Source Said To P



Subject: Major Myanmar Drug Source Said To Pledge To Stop By 2005

So, this is the latest brillant breakthrough, is it? Send in the police,
the army, because its beautiful, antidrug paramilitary action is
apolitical, oh, the drugstate is no longer a political problem,
interesting, here we have clear sign of the fruits borne by the
australian downer government, unlink the political fallout of the drug
problem from the role and responsability of the state, whitewash the
political leaders, let them show signs of support, public statements,
and put the burden ofthe problem on the non SPDC elements. This is
nonsense. It turns the drug problem history on its head, and says that
since SPDC are the drug barons, well, they cant be seen doing antidrug
action all alone, so they need some outside help, and the americans are
too far away, bogged down in columbia, then brazil, then peru, south
american nightmare, another vietnam scenario, while in the golden
triangle, the political leaders have decided to show the world that they
intend to stay in power, not loosen its death hold on the nation, not
recognize the legitimate rights of the NLD and other political
parties...

and the australian foreign office, where is the political will towards
reconcilation and dialogue?




> Thursday, December 9
> 
> Major Myanmar Drug Source Said To Pledge To Stop By 2005
> 
> BANGKOK (AP)--The ethnic army in Myanmar responsible for much of the illicit drugs flooding out of Southeast Asia's Golden Triangle has pledged to end all drug production by 2005, a top Myanmar police officer said Thursday.
> 
> Brig. Gen. Hla Tun, deputy director general of Myanmar police, defended the ambitious target set by the United Wa State Army, which is widely acknowledged as the leading producer of heroin and methamphetamine in Myanmar, as "realistic."
> 
> Myanamar's ruling generals have been accused of striking deals with drug lords and allowing them to launder money in a bid to end ethnic insurgencies in its border areas.
> 
> He made the comments at a press conference after an annual gathering in Bangkok of heads of national drug law enforcement agencies from 33 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, organized by the U.N. International Drug Control Program.
> 
> Over four days, officials discussed how to step up cooperation in fighting trafficking of heroin and illegal stimulants, amid growing concern about the huge increase in heroin production in Afghanistan and methamphetamines in Myanmar, also known as Burma.
> 
> Hla Tun said the Wa were mostly reliant on drugs production because they were poor, so the government was trying to improve their living standards.
> 
> "But we can't deny that sometimes the border areas are out of our jurisdiction, so we can't control it," he said.
> 
> The UWSA, which reached a cease fire with Myanmar's military regime ten years ago, has autonomy in its corner of Shan State in eastern Myanmar. Most villagers live in abject poverty, while UWSA leaders are thought to accrue huge revenues from illicit drugs.
> 
> Thailand, which has struggled to contain the flood of drugs from neighboring Myanmar, has seized some 33 million methamphetamine pills so far this year, most believed to have been produced in Wa territory.
> 
> "Sure he's a trafficker," said Viroj Jutmitta, deputy commissioner of the Thai Narcotics Bureau, referring to the UWSA leader Pau Yu Chen. "But that doesn't mean it's the responsibility of Gen. Hla Tun to get him tomorrow, next year or in three years time."
> 
> "We had Khun Sa (in Thailand), and chased him out (to Myanmar) and now he's surrendered to the Myanmar authorities," he said, referring to a leading trafficker, wanted on trial in the U.S., who surrendered to Yangon's regime and now lives in peaceful retirement.
> 
> Australia's representative at the four-day conference was also complimentary about law enforcement cooperation with the military state, dubbed a narco-state by critics.
> 
> Mick Keelty, general manager of national operations of the Australian Federal Police, said Australia would be sending its first narcotics liaison officer to Yangon for a six-month trial period in January.
> 
> "The beauty of law enforcement is that is we are apolitical and not constrained by boundaries that other people may be constrained by," he said.
> ********************************************
> 
> Mg Myanmar
> A Myanmar citizen who loves Myanmar
> 
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