A new report launched by the KIO’s Drug Eradication Committee on the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, reveals double the amount of opium cultivation in Kachin State reported by the UNODC, all in areas controlled by the Burma Army.
The KIO carried out extensive ground surveys in 19 townships of Kachin and northern Shan State during the 2018-2019 opium growing season, and found 6,918.23 hectares of opium fields in Kachin State, double the 3,400 hectares estimated by the UNODC in their 2018 Myanmar Opium Survey. Some opium fields were found in Putao and Sumprabum, areas of Kachin State not surveyed by UNODC.
These findings, backed up by detailed maps and photos, throw into doubt the UNODC’s assertion that opium cultivation is steadily decreasing in Kachin State and Burma as a whole.
KIO also found 3,192.4 hectares of opium fields in five townships surveyed in Northern Shan State. As in Kachin State, all opium growing is taking place in areas controlled by the Burma Army, their Border Guard Forces and allied militia. This contradicts the UNODC’s allegation that the highest density of poppy cultivation is in areas under the control of KIA and other ethnic armed organizations.
Most of the heroin and methamphetamine refineries are located in militia-controlled areas under the Burma Army in Northern Shan State. The refinery owners are from China, and rely on protection from Burmese security forces, who profit from taxes and bribes.
The KIO urges the Burma Army to stop its illegal protection of the drug trade, and calls on the Burmese government to start taking responsibility for comprehensive law enforcement against narcotic drugs, including cracking down on corruption at every level.
The KIO also urges the UNODC and other international agencies to carry out more in-depth research into the drug problems in Burma, and put more pressure on the Burmese government to tackle these problems effectively.
The KIO Drug Eradication Committee was formed in 1993 and has been actively involved in carrying out opium eradication, punishing dealers, and conducting rehabilitation programs for users in areas under KIO control.
The full report can be viewed on ( Drug Issue Report PDF )
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