8 D e c 2009— Destruction ceremony of narcotic drugs seized in Eastern Shan State area was held at the state sports ground in Kengtung, Shan State (East) this afternoon.

It was attended by Vice-Chairman of Central Committee of Drug Abuse Control Minister for Foreign Affairs U Nyan Win, Secretary of CCDAC Chief of Myanmar Police Force Brig-Gen Khin Yi and members, senior military officers, ambassadors from foreign embassies led by Dean of Diplomatic Corps Singaporean Ambassador HE Mr Robert Chua Hian Kong, Resident Coor-dinator Mr Bishow B Parajuli of UN Agencies, Yangon-based drug abuse control officers, division/state, district and township level departmental officials, local and foreign media persons, members of social organizations, town-selders, guests and locals.

Secretary of CCDAC Chief of Myanmar Police Force Brig-Gen Khin Yi explained the efforts made for drug abuse control. The secretary said: The Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control has been holding similar occasions for burning and destroying seized narcotic drugs occasionally, both at respective States and Divisions as well as in Yangon. Since 2006, a total of 20 occasions were held in Yangon with another 47 in States and Divisions where the drugs were respective States and Divisions as well as in Yangon. Since 2006, a total of 20 occasions were held in Yangon with another 47 in States and Divisions where the drugs were occasion of destroying seized narcotic drugs in this region.

Starting from 26 July 2009 up to this day, there were 20 significant incidents where drugs were being searched, exposed and seized in this Eastern Shan State area. Some of the significant events will be explained here.

At Tachilek Lwei Taw Khan joint inspection station, a combined security forces uncovered and seized 2177 blocks of heroin weighing 761.95 kilos and 340,000 ATS tablets carried on a six wheel type Nissan vehicle on 7 July 2009.

Again on 7 August 2009, a joint team of security forces, based on the information from local people, exposed and seized 37,600 ATS tablets from Mae Khong quarter in Tachilek. When a combined security forces searched a house on 24 August 2009 at Wan Li village, Hong Leik quarters, Tachilek, they discovered a single long rifle, one pistol, (108) 9mm Luca bullets, 964,000 ATS tablets, 21 kilos of heroin powder and 102 blocks of heroin inside the house and in the car parked within the compound and were accordingly seized.

Through further investigations, additional 196,200 ATS tablets, 2 blocks of heroin, and 10 kilos of ICE from a house in Wan Lone village and, 24 grams of ICE and 11 grams of Khut-khu from a house at outer Taw Kawt village in Houng Leik quarters, Tachilek were uncovered and seized.

On 11 September, a joint team of security forces uncovered and seized 2,632,000 ATS tablets, (5) 38mm bullets, (29) 32mm bullets, (70) 6.5mm bullets, (2) 5.56 mm bullets totaling 106 and a grenade from a house of Houng Leik quarters, Tachilek. Similarly on 18 October, the joint team managed to seize 80,000 ATS tablets, 10 short M16 magazines, 195 m-16 bullets (100) 9mm bullets from a vehicle at Wan Kyauk Lon village, Tachilek township. The anti-narcotic task forces, in close cooperation with the local population, have been stepping up measures to suppress the transport and use of precursor chemicals which are the key substance used in manufacturing ATS tablets. Thus, it has reached to a point that precursor chemicals are not easily available and drugs dealers are now using all available avenues to smuggle in pharmaceutical drugs that contains pseudo ephedrine from a neighbouring country. As soon as we realize that ephedrine, the key chemical required to manufacture ATS can be extracted from this pharmaceutical product, we concentrated our efforts to combat smuggling of pseudo ephedrine.

A developing nation like ours do not have the means and capacity to produce precursor chemicals – only the industrialized countries can do it. As such, these chemicals are brought in from neighbouring countries and though they are being smuggled in as pure chemicals in the past, recent developments had prompted manufactures to smuggle them under the guise of pharmaceutical products. Consequently, countries within the region are exchanging information to combat the changing trends resulting in seizures of pseudo ephedrine drugs used for extracting required raw chemicals.

A joint enforcement team uncovered and seized 8.16 million pseudo ephedrine tablets on 18 February 2009 from 4 trawler-gy vehicles at Chin Shwe Haw check point. Further investigation reveal that these tablets are from the other side of border town.

Another 414,700 tablets of illegal pseudo ephedrine were seized on a Toyota Hilux vehicle by a combined security forces on 6 May at Wan Tar Pin joint inspection gate in Kengtung. Again on 1 September, a combined security forces found and seized 48,870 tablets of pseudo ephedrine tablets hidden inside a motor cycle on No. 1 Friendship Bridge in Tachilek. Similarly, a combined team of security forces seized 31 different types of pharmaceutical drugs that contain pseudo ephedrine totaling 1.68 million tablets on a six-wheel type Hino bus at Naung Noun joint inspection gate at Kengtung on 14 October.

A combined team, at 10:30 pm on 10 November, seized 4,567,255 tablets of pseudo ephedrine tablets on a Nissan 12-wheel truck at 16-mile Kyaukchaw check point in Patheingyi Township. Through further investigation, additional 445,230 tablets of pseudo ephedrine were uncovered at a house in Aungmyaythazan Township at 11:00 am. Follow up information and action resulted in additional seizure of 2,239,550 tablets of pseudo ephedrine from a Fuso 10-wheel truck in the same place in Patheingyi Township. The total seizure was 7,252,035 tablets, all of which were found to be from neighbouring countries, according to the logo on the tablets.

There is no drugs without raw chemicals known as precursor. No Precursor, No Drugs. It is of great importance to collaborate and cooperate with our neighbouring countries to deter the tide of precursor chemicals changing its flow illegally into our country. That our anti-drug law enforcement agencies had succeeded in preventing such precursor chemicals evolving into life threatening substances known as narcotic drugs had doubtlessly prohibited the production of narcotic drugs in a huge quantity.

The amount of narcotic drugs, ATS tablets, precursor chemicals and affiliated paraphernalia seized in Eastern Shan State since 26 June 2009 till now is 6,998,554 tablets of ATS, 819.7536 kilos of Heroin, 10.045 kilos of ICE, 156.31855 kilos of raw opium, 0.18 kilo of ATS powder, 0.0394 kilo of damped ATS, 1031 kilos of caffeine, 0.031 kilo of opium oil, 0.018 kilo of dried opium bits. The total amount of seized drugs, chemicals and affiliated paraphernalia to be burnt and destroyed valued over K 93 billion, which if converted into US dollar, is over 93 million.

Myanmar fervently believes that it is the responsibility of the nation to strive utmost in combating and eradicating narcotic drugs. With this serious and intense endeavour, it has laid down two strategies and three tactics in accord with the guidance of its Head of State and adopted and implemented 15-year drug elimination programme starting from 1999 to 2014, making use of its own natural resources.

As the programme had now reached the tail end of the second 5-year phase of its duration, our quest to eradicate narcotic drugs can be said to have attained some considerable achievements. The government, on one hand, is scaling up law enforcement measures to combat the menace of drugs and to reduce its production, on the other hand, is also cooperating with UNODC to reduce the demand for drugs. UNODC had proclaimed that “No individual, family, or community is safe where illicit drugs take control.” In Compliance with the proclamation, nationwide campaigns had been launched to inform and educate the communities on the hazards of drugs and are lending treatment and rehabilitation services for drug users who want to end their habits.

Myanmar, is being fully conscious of the fact that it cannot single-handedly combat narcotic drugs and cooperation with the international community, neighbouring nations and regional countries is essential in eradication of narcotic drugs, had accordingly, signed bilateral MoU and cooperating with India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Laos, Russian Federation, Philippines, China and Thailand.

In conclusion, the significant drug seizures mentioned above clearly indicated that Myanmar is employing the three tactics for combating and eradicating narcotic drugs, which are supply elimination, demand elimination, and law enforcement, hand in hand with the public in at unambiguous manner. Responsible public officials, together with members of the communities who are entirely against drug use and who are fully familiar with the hazards this habit entails, will continue to work to this end throughout the nation. The strength and wisdom of our people will be utilized continuously and vigorously in working towards prevalence of peace, tranquillity, law and order and in developing Eastern Shan State region.

At the same time, we will all strive relentlessly to achieve the targets prescribed in the aforesaid 15-year drug eradication programme. Next, Dean of Diplomatic Corps, ambassadors, personnel from embassies, resident representatives of UN agencies, Yangon-based drug abuse control officers, and responsible persons, reporters and foreign correspondents viewed the documentary photos and inspected the drugs to be put in blaze.

Next, Minister for Foreign Affairs U Nyan Win, Chief of MPF Brig- Gen Khin Yi, Dean of Diplomatic Corps Singaporean Ambassador Mr Robert Chua Hian Kong and senior citizen U Sai Aung Kham of Kengtung pressed the button to burn the drugs and the ceremony concluded at 2.40 pm. The amount of narcotic drugs destroyed today was 6,998,554 tablets of ATS, 819.7536 kilos of Heroin, 10.045 kilos of ICE, 156.31855 kilos of raw opium, 0.18 kilo of ATS powder, 0.0394 kilo of damped ATS, 1031 kilos of caffeine, 0.031 kilo of opium oil, 0.018 kilo of dried opium bits. The total amount of seized drugs, chemicals and affiliated paraphernalia destroyed valued over K 93 billion, or equal to US dollar, over 93 million.

Afterwards, Dean of Diplomatic Corps, ambassadors, personnel from embassies, resident representatives of UN agencies, Yangon-based drug abuse control officers, and responsible persons, reporters and foreign correspondents in company with personnel concerned looked round Kengtung in a motorcade and left the town in the evening.