Mr. President,

At the outset let me express my delegation's satisfaction in seeing you presiding over this special session of the General Assembly. We are firmly convinced that your proven diplomatic skills and rich experience will guide our deliberations to a successful outcome.

Mr. President,

The efforts of the international community through domestic and international strategies to combat the scourge of narcotic drugs over the past several decades have frustratingly led only to mixed results. As clearly indicated in the report of the International Narcotic Control Board for 1997 despite some achievements shortcomings still exist in drug control at both national and international levels. Disturbingly the menace of narcotic drugs continues to pose a serious threat to both developed and developing countries. In tandem with the relentless efforts of the international community to combat the drug problem a more tolerant consumer culture favorable to drug abuse has emerged leading to increase in scope and geographical spread of drug abuse, the problem of amphetamine-type stimulants and of countries with no demands for illicit drug now facing demands for drugs is a cast in point. Against the backdrop of these unsettling trends it is timely for the international community to meet in this historic session to elevate our common endeavour to a new stage. In this connection we wish to commend the Executive Director of the UNDCP for the commitment and the initiative he has shown in our struggle against the global menace.

Mr. President,

The commitment of the international community to eradicate illicit narcotic crops enshrined in the international drug control treaties and reaffirmed in relevant UN General Assembly resolutions is steadfast and unquestionable. Despite this commitment the result we have achieved is not encouraging. This does demonstrate that commitment alone however it may be strong is not adequate to achieve desired results. The Executive Director has attributed this discouraging result to a number of factors including the lack of commitment on the part of both the donor community and recipient governments. As a country with full commitment, Myanmar attaches great importance to the availability of sufficient funds on a sustained and predictable basis for alternative development responsibility, it is the moral imperative for the donor community to play the role of staunch supporter of the efforts against illicit narcotic crops. A new global plan for the elimination of illicit narcotic crops proposed by the Executive Director of the UNDCP is timely. We welcome the proposal and share the optimism expressed by the Executive Director on the successful implementation of the plan. We, however still feel that, the existence of many favourable factors for the success of the plan notwithstanding, lack of sufficient funding will constitute an Achilles' heel for the plan in trying to achieve its ambitious objective of the elimination of illicit narcotic crops during the coming ten years.

Mr. President,

Efforts to eradicate illicit narcotic drugs will be seriously undermined unless equally vigorous attempts are made in the area of demand reduction. Both supply and demand drive drug, abuse and the reduction of drug supply and of drug demand are essential in the prevention of drug abuse. Lately, the problem of drug abuse has been compounded by the emergence of all overall climate of acceptance favourable of drug abuse. This, coupled with the newly-emerging trafficking routes, has led to an upsurge in the number of drug abusers and the growth of drug market. It is therefore extremely important of substantially reduce the demand for illicit drugs if all the gains which we live achieved on the supply side of the equation are not to be negated. The importance of demand reduction has been long recognized in all the drug control treaties and by the international conferences related to drug control. In addition, there is a growing realization that illicit drugs lies at the root of the drug problem. In the view of my delegation, the Draft Declaration on the Guiding Principles of Drug Demand Reduction to be adopted at this session is a most necessary and dynamic step which will pave the way for identifying further measures to be taken for the reduction of demand for illicit drugs.

Mr. President,

The problem of drug in Myanmar is a pernicious legacy of its colonial past, the problem was further aggravated after independence when the production of drugs and their trafficking became linked with the internal insurgency problem. Since independence, Myanmar has been relentlessly waging a determined war against the menace of narcotic drugs as a matter of national responsibility and internationalist duty. Fully aware of the political, economic and social dimensions of the problem, Myanmar has adopted an integrated approach covering the whole gamut of drug control activities — crop substitution, education and mass media information. In addition, to make anti-drugs measures more effective, the legal regime in the country has been strengthened. The latest law enacted in January 1993 is the toughest law ever promulgated. It contains provisions for capital punishment for drug related offences under some circumstances. It also provides for severe punishment for laundering of the proceeds derived from the illicit drugs and psychotropic substances. At present, the legal framework in Myanmar is complete with provisions addressing all aspects of the drug problem.

Mr. President,

We have adopted a new approach to eradicate poppy plantation which aimed at winning over the understanding and co-operation of the communities concerned in our eradication efforts. Under this approach, we are undertaking projects of transportation, water-supply and crop substitution in poppy-growing areas under short-term and long-term plans. As a result, the inhabitants of those areas have come to realize and appreciate the efforts of the government. This augurs well for the successful implementation of present and future eradication projects.

Mr. President,

Myanmar fully recognizes the importance of cooperative measures at sub-regional, regional and international levels in combating illicit production of, demand for and trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. This is reflected in its active cooperation in drug control activities with the People's Republic of China and Thailand. Furthermore, Myanmar signed bilateral agreements with India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, the Russian Federation, Laos and the Philippines to control drug trafficking and abuse. Very recently, thanks to the sponsorship of the Japanese Government, an International Seminar on Alternative Development was conducted in Yangon with a view to exchange experiences on crop substitution and integrated development. Myanmar is determined to sustain and step up this cooperation.

Mr. President,

Myanmar have acceded to the international drug-control treaties and faithfully complies with their provisions and the plans of actions adopted by the United Nations. The Union of Myanmar is a party to the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs and has already acceded to the 1988 UN Convention Against Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance and to the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances.

Mr. President,

The sincere efforts of the Government of Myanmar has resulted in remarkable achievements in its anti-narcotics endeavours. In April 1997, the Mongla region in the Eastern Shan State, an area right in the middle of poppy-growing region, was declared as an Opium Free Zone. As a further step, projects have been initiated for the Kokang and Wa Regions in the Northern Shan State with the year 2000 and 2005 set respectively as the target dates for the establishment of additional opium free zones.

At present, a nation-wide campaign for the collection of accurate base-line data on narcotics is underway with the active participation of government agencies, NGOs and the local communities concerned. These data will serve as basis for further stepping up the efforts against the evil of narcotic drugs and will be valuable input for future drug-related projects.

Mr. President,

The government of Myanmar is fully committed to combat the scourge of narcotic drugs. This commitment has been proven beyond doubt by its sacrifice of many lives in its war on drugs and the resources it has spent to uplift the economic and social standards of the population in remote border areas where poppy is grown. During the period from September 1988 to April 1998, the Government was able to seize and destroy more than 3,880 kilos of heroin, over 24,800 kilos of opium, over 11 million tablets of stimulants, especially amphetamines, and burned down 87 heroin-refining camps. Seized narcotic drugs have been put to torch in front of the public twelve times in Yangon and 19 times in the border areas. But this was a result not without sacrifice. In these drug suppression endeavours, 766 members of the Myanmar Armed Forces lost their lives and 2,292 members sustained severe injuries. During the same period, the government has spent more than 9 billion Kyats on the development of border areas where poppy is grown. All the efforts of the Myanmar government for the suppression of narcotic drugs as well as for development plans for poppy-growing areas are being carried out with our own limited resources. It is worth mentioning that every country with willing and reliable sources of financing still finds it difficult to resolve the drug problem. We, however, are determined to achieve the goal of total elimination of poppy growing and opium production in Myanmar within 15 years with available resources of our own. Nevertheless, should there be assistance from the international community, this goal will be achieved sooner rather than later. Here we wish to emphasize and assure that we will continue our unwavering efforts with available resources till we achieve the avowed aim of becoming a country totally free of evil drugs.

Mr. President,

The drug menace is a problem of global proportions requiring concerted and sustained global response. Although we have not won the war on illicit drugs, we have advanced in the right direction and momentum is ours. Myanmar will resolutely undertake its share of the global burden and solemnly pledges to continue its fullest cooperation with the international community.

Thank you, Mr. President.