BKK Post / 8 June 1998  

Nations plan drug-free region  
'We want to underline our commitment to the international 
community'  

Nusara Thaitawat  
   Thailand and its five Mekong neigbours, the source of 
over 50 percent of the world's opium and heroin output, 
will commit themselves to the international community this 
week to create a region free of illicit drugs.
   No timeframe was specified in the two-page joint 
declaration, but it is understood that the six countries 
aim for 2008 in line with the targets being set out at the 
special session on drugs of the United Nations General 
Assembly, which opens today in New York.
   "(We) desire to create a zone free of illicit drug 
production, trafficking and use," the six countries say.
   Burma, China, Laos and Thailand signed an agreement to 
work together to fight drugs in 1993 under the auspices of 
the UN International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP), 
Cambodia and Vietnam joined them in 1995.
   This move by the Mekong countries is in addition to 
their endorsement of a global political initiative and six 
specific action plans on precursor chemicals, amphetamine-
type stimulants, judicial cooperation, money laundering, 
elimination of illicit crops and alternative development, 
and demand reduction, to come out of the three-day special 
session.
   "We want to underline our commitment to the 
international community," said Payont Pansiri, secretary 
general of the Office of Narcotics Control Board.
   The joint declaration is concise, spelling out what the 
six countries are determined to do and at the same time 
what they want the international community to do to 
complement their efforts in order to ensure success.
   Mr Payont told the Bangkok Post before leaving for New 
York that it is now accepted worldwide that the drugs 
problem is borderless and no country can deal with it on 
its own.
   "We've always argued who's to blame. Source countries 
claim because there's demand, there's supply, while 
consumer countries which in the past were the more advanced 
countries, put the blame on the producers. This argument is 
no longer valid," he said.
   The Mekong region itself is confronted with being a 
producer, a transit point and abuser, while what were 
formerly consumer countries, such as the US and the Europe, 
have also become producers, specialising in synthetic 
drugs.
   Mr Payont said the biggest challenge facing the world 
today is demand reduction, and not eradication. "It's a 
social problem which is most complex to resolve. No country 
has been able to deal with it successfully so far," he 
said.
   Explaining the joint declaration, Mr Payont said the 
Mekong countries "strongly reaffirm their determination" to 
fight drug problems in compliance with UN conventions, 
through a balanced, comprehensive and multi-disciplinary 
approaches and within their social and economic context.
   They "affirm their readiness to redouble their efforts" 
to support sub-regional and cross-border cooperation to 
prevent illicit production, trafficking and consumption of 
illicit drugs.
   They express their determination to strengthen their 
cooperation both at the sub-regional and bilateral levels 
and their decision to set up an operation network to 
coordinate their efforts.
   On cooperation from the international community, they 
call for market access for produces from crop substitution 
projects to create a sustainable economic environment and 
prevent opium poppy growers from going back to opium crops.
   States which are the sources, transit points and 
destination of precursor chemicals used to manufacture 
illicit drugs should do all they can to tighten control 
over their trade and use.
   In this year's World Drug Report, issued by the UNDCP, 
European countries have been criticised for their 
reluctance to tighten control over chemicals for fear their 
lucrative chemical industry will be affected.
   And finally, the six countries stressed the need for 
consumer countries to strengthen their demand reduction 
programmes to cover all areas of prevention, treatment, 
rehabilitation and social reintegration with particular 
emphasis on community participation aimed at specific 
target groups, especially the youth.
   Thailand and other countries in the region are not 
afraid to group themselves with Burma, which is the world's 
single largest producer of opium and heroin and which has 
often come under international criticism for its perceived 
lack of sincerity in addressing the issue.
   "We're confident in our intentions to achieve the goals 
set out in the joint declaration. Burma is doing its best 
and and has a real determination. We're confident that with 
international cooperation and with efforts made by all 
sides, we can eventually create a region free of illicit 
drugs," he said.
   The Thai delegation is headed by Deputy Prime Minister 
Bhichai Rattakul, and also includes former ONCB secretary 
general Pol Gen Chavalit Yodmani and ONCB deputy secretary 
general Sorasit Sangprasert.
   Of the Mekong countries, Burma, China and Vietnam are 
parties to the 1988 Convention against Illicit Traffic in 
Narcotic Drugs and Psychotrpic Substances.
   Cambodia, Laos and Thailand are still working on their 
legislations.