Thailand helps Myanmar in reducing opium field

BANGKOK, February 19 (TNA) - As members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is moving to make the region drug free from the year 2015 onwards, Thailand has provided financial aid as well as introduced the royally-initiated Doi Tung Development Project to its neighbour Myanmar, aimed at enabling its neighbouring country to reduce poppy grown areas, a senior anti-drug officer said. Sukhum Opasnipat, deputy secretary-general of Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB), said the 10-member countries of ASEAN has agreed to let opium disappear from their countries from the year 2015, Thailand has succeeded as opium growing areas along the northern borders in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai provinces have now dwindled to about 1,000 rai. Two ASEAN members, Myanmar and Laos still see an increase in opium production, Mr. Sukhum said. Opium production in Myanmar has increased to more than 37 per cent or over 200 tonnes while production in Laos stands at about 40 tonnes, he added. The ONCB has allocated about 15 million baht to the Myanmar government to spend on development projects, he said, adding that it has also decided to introduce the Doi Tung Development Project under Mae Fah Luang Foundation in its border district of Ta Khi Lek. Products to be yielded from Ta Khi Lek will be sold in Thailand and this could reduce drug production and smuggling across the border, Mr. Sukhum said. Meanwhile, the senior Thai official noted that five other ASEAN members including Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia and Vietnam are encountering similar drug problems like Thailand, saying that both heroin and crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as ‘ice’, are consumed mostly in these countries. (TNA)