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Answers to SLORC Embassy



ANSWER TO BURMESE PROPAGANDA

B.Kyar Oo
General Secretary
Narcotics Eradication Organization
National Democratic Front (NDF)

The news release by the Embassy of Burma in Washington D.C (dated September
5,1997) and the recent address by Lt.General Khin Nyunt, Secretary 1 of
SPDC,to a special meeting of the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control
held on December 3 1997, pleaded for the western nations to recognize the
"impressive gains" made by their country in reducing opium production and
trafficking. They feel that they are unjustly criticized and black-listed.
They want respectability in the international community.

To support their claim, they cite the removal of Khun Sa and his army from
active opium growing and marketing. In fact, Khun Sa "retired" under the
protection of the Burmese junta where he can now use his vast wealth to
engage in "legitimate" business including money laundering. His army was
left to fend for itself or starve. Opium is grown just the same.

The Burmese Embassy put out a chart showing how much opium and its
derivatives, even including cough syrup, was seized by the military regime
over the last seven years. These figures are meant to impress. In reality,
the destruction of huge piles of heroin are commonly known to "be the best
show around" with foreign dignitaries and drug enforcers attending to watch
the bonfire that burns a little heroin on top and lots of detergent
underneath. Even if the figures presented could be trusted, the point is
that despite governmental destruction efforts opium production has
increased. It has doubled since the present regime took over in 1988.

Lt. General Khin Nyunt calls for efforts to cooperate with international
non-governmental organizations to implement crop sustitution and
development programs. The truth is, that for years such organizations and
the United Nations have tried to have crop substitution programs in Shan
and Kachin States. They have either not been allowed in, or if allowed in,
they have been stymied at every turn by governmental delays, permits, and
all the bureaucratic tactics and private corruption that have made them
ineffective.

The military regime points to its development programs. The people of Shan
and Kachin states have seen largely promises, not development. The kind of
"development" that has taken place is that the minority inhabitants have
been forcibly moved out and Burmans loyal to the government have been moved
in to take over the land.

But all of this begs the question. All this evades the real issue. The
narcotics business thrives in Shan State because of the bitterly repressive
government in Rangoon. People, who would rather grow something they can
eat, grow opium, because it can be turned into guns and armies to protect
themselves. The minorities can not trust any document signed nor any
agreement made by the government. They have learned by desperately hard
experience that the only assurance they have is to be organized and armed.
They will grow opium to finance resistance to the overbearing, brutal,
grasping government. When the need for that resistance is gone, then crop
substitution and development can take place in earnest.

//end//