¡¡¡¡By Duan Tingchang

¡¡¡¡YANGON, Oct. 11 (Xinhuanet) -- In the full realization of the grave danger narcotic drugs pose for the country and the international community, the Myanmar government has been taking various measures in drug eradication, with top priority put on theinternational cooperation in the war on the drug.

¡¡¡¡In accordance with an agreement on drug control reached betweenMyanmar and the United Nations, the UNDCP started in 1999 implementing a five-year alternative development project in the country's southern Wa region of Shan state.

¡¡¡¡The project is aimed at improving transport, education and health in the region as well as the cultivation of poppy-substitute agricultural and economic crops there. The UNDCP has since provided a total of 7.98 million US dollars for the project.

¡¡¡¡More importantly, the UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (ODCCP) and the Myanmar government jointly conducted a survey on Myanmar's drug status for the first time from December 2001 to the second week of March 2002.

¡¡¡¡The survey was conducted by means of both field survey and satellite photos, covering five zones of the country -- Lashio, Taunggyi, Kengtung, Wa Special Region and Mongpauk -- and involving 6,000 acres (2,428 hectares) of opium poppy fields at 2,000 villages.

¡¡¡¡Through the survey, a plenty of first-hand data with regard to Myanmar's poppy cultivated areas, opium production and the number of drug addicts were obtained.

¡¡¡¡In addition to enhancing cooperation with the United Nations indrug eradication, Myanmar has also strengthened bilateral cooperation with other countries in this regard.

¡¡¡¡Since the 1990s, in a positive response to the request made by the United Nations to reduce drug supply, China has strengthened effective cooperation with Myanmar and through labor force, capital and technical assistance, it helped to grow agricultural and economic crops to substitute poppy in northern Myanmar, thus pushing the socio-economic development of the region.

¡¡¡¡According to incomplete statistics, China's Yunnan Province hasinjected more than 300 million yuans renminbi (some 40 million US dollars), cultivating 25,000 hectares of various opium-substitute crops in northern Myanmar and sending experts to the area to help train agricultural technicians.

¡¡¡¡In 2001, Myanmar also signed with China an accord on drug control cooperation.

¡¡¡¡Between Feb. 25 and March 2, 2002, Myanmar and the US Criminal Narcotics Center jointly carried out a field survey on poppy plantations in Myanmar's eastern and northern Shan state. This wasthe eighth joint field survey conducted by the two sides since 1993.

¡¡¡¡In June 2001, Myanmar and Thailand signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on cooperation in drug control, agreeing to strengthen information exchange in the sector and set up three border points along their common boundary in combating drug trafficking.

¡¡¡¡Moreover, according to a proposal made by Thailand in November 2001, Thailand has decided to provide Myanmar with 20 million baht(476,000 dollars) to help the country establish a drug-free model village in Monghsat township, Wa region of northern Shan state.

¡¡¡¡Meanwhile, starting in 1997, Japan has provided Myanmar with buchwheat seeds to grow the crop to substitute poppy. Upon harvest,Japan purchased the buckwheat from Myanmar, using it as a raw material to produce Japanese noodle.

¡¡¡¡Besides, Myanmar also signed drug control cooperation accords or MOUs with Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines, India and the Russian Federation.

¡¡¡¡According to the latest figures released by the Myanmar CentralCommittee for Drug Abuse Control, during the 14 years between 1988and 2002, Myanmar destroyed more than 50,000 hectares of poppy plantations, and since 1990, it has carried out public destructionof narcotic drugs in the capital of Yangon for 16 times, burning up nearly 58 tons of various drugs in total.

¡¡¡¡Myanmar started implementation of a 15-year drug elimination plan in 1999, covering 54 drug cultivating and producing townships.But, although Myanmar has made some achievements in drug control, the country, as one of the three major nacortic drug producing areas in the world, still has a long way to go in eliminating drug.

¡¡¡¡According to a UN report issued on Aug. 27, 2002, Myanmar's poppy cultivated areas was 200,000 acres (about 81,400 hectares) in 2002, while opium production was estimated at 828 tons in the year. Of the country's population aged 15 and above, 2.4 percent smoke opium. So, Myanmar still needs to make a long-term and tireless efforts in drug eradication. Enditem