Cablegate: More Information On Burma's Counternarcotics

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS RANGOON 001544

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP AND INL
TREASURY FOR OASIA
NSC FOR BEERS
USCINCPAC FOR FPA
DEA FOR OF, OFF
MANILA ALSO FOR USED/ADB

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR BM
SUBJECT: MORE INFORMATION ON BURMA'S COUNTERNARCOTICS
PROGRAM

REF: A. RANGOON 1355
B. RANGOON 1415
C. RANGOON 1473

1. The GOB has recently released a bevy of information on
its counternarcotics efforts, most of which we have reported
in our previous cables (reftels). However, in this cable we
are providing some new information as follows:

UN Protocol

2. The GOB has decided to accede to the 1972 Protocol to the
UN's 1961 Single Convention on Narcotics Drugs. Once signed,
this will mean that Burma has become party to all of the UN's
major narcotics conventions, including the 1961 Single
Convention, the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic
Substances, and the 1988 UN Drug Convention.

Bilateral and Multilateral Agreements

3. Burma has signed bilateral narcotics control agreements
with all of its near and some of its not so near neighbors.
These include agreements with China, Thailand, India,
Bangladesh, Vietnam, Laos, the Phillipines, and Russia. It
is also a partner in UNDCP's six nation ACCORD plan of action
in Southeast Asia and a member, with China, Thailand, and
Laos, in the Mekong Sub-regional Cooperative Program against
drugs.

New Destiny Project

4. During the spring of 2002, the GOB collected
approximately 290 metric tons of poppy seed in exchange for
winter food crop seeds and other support. According to the
government, this is enough to seed approximately 40,000
hectares of opium poppy, and is the basis of its prediction
that it will cut the area under opium cultivation in Burma
from approximately 80,000 hectares to 40,000 hectares during
the current crop year.

Seizures and Arrests

5. The latest figures for arrests and seizures indicate that
the GOB has arrested 3,730 suspects in 2,529 drug-related
cases from January 1, 2002 through November 15. During that
same time period, it seized 1,737 kilograms of opium, 300
kilograms of heroin, 262 kilograms of marijuana, 9,191,000
stimulant tablets, and 1,711 kilograms of ephedrine. Most of
these numbers are in line with previous years, though the
seizures of stimulant tablets are well below last year's
total of more than 32 million.
Martinez

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