FBC Letter to INTERPOL SG

[dohrs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

February 16, 1999

Mr. Raymond Kendall
Secretary General
INTERPOL
Quai Charles de Gaulle
69006 Lyon, France


Dear Mr. Kendall,

The Free Burma Coalition was dismayed to see that INTERPOL is being used to
advance the public relations goals of one of the world's worst narco
dictatorships.  The military regime ruling Burma recently announced a
public relations plan which includes holding international conferences in
Burma, in an attempt to distract attention from its role in protecting and
profiting from the international narcotics trade.

The INTERPOL meeting to be held next week in Burma does not advance the
cause of narcotics control.  Rather than holding a sham meeting hosted by
the generals in Burma, INTERPOL should be facilitating discussion among its
members about how the junta in Burma is obstructing narcotics control
efforts, and what can be done about it.

The Free Burma Coalition, therefore, calls on INTERPOL to immediately
cancel the meeting in Rangoon.  This should not be a great inconvenience,
since most INTERPOL members, including the United States, Norway, Denmark,
the Netherlands, Italy, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Canada, are refusing
to attend.  INTERPOL should instead schedule a meeting outside Burma to
discuss Burma's role as one of the world's major sources of illegal
opiates, a growing source of amphetamines, and a major center for narcotics
money laundering, and how the generals ruling Burma help facilitate the
narcotics trade.

In addition, we believe INTERPOL must investigate who in your organization
is working with the military junta in Burma to assist them in achieving
their public relations aims.  As head of INTERPOL, you must take action to
ensure that INTERPOL is not taken advantage of by narcotics traffickers and
those who protect them.  The integrity of INTERPOL is at stake.

Sincerely,

Dr. Zar Ni
Founder, Free Burma Coalition

cc: John Imhoff, Chief, INTERPOL U.S. National Central Bureau
United States Attorney General Janet Reno