NAY PYI TAW, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar First Vice President U Myint Swe Sunday pledged to make efforts to mitigate drug problems in the country through the process of the upcoming 21st Century Panglong Ethnic Conference.
U Myint Swe made the remarks here at a ceremony to mark the 29th International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
He said drug problems in Myanmar are deeply concerned with the historical background of the armed conflicts, adding that the government has recognized the links between internal insurgency and the drug problems.
U Myint Swe recalled that Myanmar armed forces and police had waged operations to eradicate poppy cultivation and production in border areas dominated by insurgents between 1976 and 1988.
Since 1988, the government and the ethnic armed groups have been able to collaboratively intensify efforts towards the elimination of illicit drugs, he said.
Peace process has been in progress since October 2015 with the signing of a Nationwide Ceasefire Accord by eight ethnic armed groups and the reduction of opium poppy cultivation and illicit trafficking has been witnessed in cooperation with the groups.
U Myint Swe anticipated that successful convening of the upcoming Panglong Conference will play a key role in reducing drug problems through national reconciliation and peace process.
He pointed out that Myanmar had conducted a 15-year drug elimination plan from 1999 to 2014 which covered 51 townships.
He said that through the efforts of successive governments, over 100,000 hectares of opium cultivation in 1999-2000 was reduced by 80 percent with 21,600 hectares in 2006.
However, opium cultivation increased again after 2006 due to growing illicit drug markets, increasing demand, geographic remoteness of poppy cultivation areas, under-development and weak security and stability, he blamed.
As a result of the government's prioritized efforts, the successive years of increase in opium poppy cultivation was halted in 2014 and 2015, a report of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) was citing as saying.
On the occasion, Myanmar authorities also burned over 56 million U.S. dollars worth of seized narcotic drugs across the country Sunday.
The narcotic drugs, put on fire, included those seized in Yangon, Mandalay, Nay Pyi Taw and Taunggyi.
In Yangon alone, the narcotic drugs destroyed were valued at 19.7 million U.S. dollars.
The country has extended its drug elimination plan from 2014-2015 to 2018-2019 to fight the drug problems.
