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Burma hosts international police co



BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific

Burma hosts international police conference

SOURCE: TV Myanmar, Rangoon, in Burmese 1330 gmt 8 May 00

Excerpts from report by Burmese TV on 8th May

The 20th ASEAN Chiefs of Police Conference, ASEANAPOL, hosted
\by the Union of Myanmar for the first time was held at Traders Hotel on
Sule Pagoda Road this morning at 0830. Home Affairs
Minister Col Tin Hlaing delivered an opening address...

He said that states should spare no efforts in tackling the problems in
all its aspects. In Myanmar, state leaders themselves give directions,
continuously observe and analyze situations with a view to reducing
criminal offenses, and provide necessary assistance.

He said In 1996, when he was the deputy minister for home affairs, he
chaired the Committee for the Reduction of Crimes in Yangon and accorded
high priority and took deep interest in carrying out the tasks of the 
committee.
Likewise he said, states and divisions were instructed to form similar 
committees
and work for the reduction of crimes. At the time of establishment of this
Committee in 1996, a total of 3,070 criminal cases were recorded. By 1999, 
this
was reduced to 952 cases, constituting a clear reduction of 69 per cent.

In addition to these, reorganization of the system of management and 
modernization of the police force
are also being promoted. Such kind of action is a clear commitment on the 
part of the government, and
it is therefore believed that this commitment will be beneficial not only 
to all people in the region but also
of the world.

The common problem that faces us in the region today is the production, 
trafficking and sale of narcotic
drugs. This includes all regions of production, transit, and abuse. Since 
we are all well aware of who the
culprit was that created the drug problem and the infamous Golden Triangle 
in the first place, I shall
refrain from elaborating on it.

The answer and the only method to deal with this problem at this current 
stage, is to place our trust in
each other and mutually cooperate with one another. Since the whole region 
including Myanmar is
facing the problems of drugs, one can easily see the enormous and 
wide-ranging task involved in
eradicating this problem. Myanmar fully recognizes the threat posed to 
mankind by narcotic drugs and
the paramount need to eliminate the problem.

Accordingly, the highest political level of the government gives full 
attention and priority on drug matters,
laying down consistent policy to combat this menace. The government took 
steps to permanently
restructure the economy of the opium producing areas in the country by 
drafting a master plan to
eradicate narcotic drugs within 15 years.

At the 1997 ASEAN Summit, the prime minister of Myanmar, Senior General 
Than Shwe, submitted
the endeavours of Myanmar to eliminate the narcotic drugs problem. 
Likewise, the prime minister met
the secretary general of the United Nations on separate occasion and 
explained about Myanmar's
efforts in this connection...

At a time when Myanmar's efforts to substitute alternative crops in place 
of illicit opium poppy
cultivation and production, and introduction of alternative income 
generating activities are succeeding,
the problem of stimulants have arisen. We are therefore cooperating 
actively with neighbouring countries
to tackle this emerging problem.

He said transnational crimes, including narcotic drug problems, cannot be 
solved by one country alone.
With each passing day, it has become imperative that states address these 
problems individually and
collectively with its neighbours on sub-region, regional, and international 
level...