China and five Southeast Asian countries, namely Cambodia, Laos,
Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, have signed a joint declaration at a
ministerial meeting in Myanmar, with the aim to strengthen cooperation
in the fight against drug trafficking.
The meeting
in Myanmar’s capital city of Nay Pyi Taw on May 9 saw the
participation of Ministers of the six countries and representatives from
the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The Nay Pyi Taw declaration noted satisfaction over great efforts made
by the six countries and the achievements they have gained in their
effective cooperation within the framework of international, regional,
sub-regional and bilateral cooperation mechanisms on drug trafficking
prevention.
The declaration noted the surge in
manufacture and production of amphetamine-type stimulants and the
expansion of opium poppy cultivation undermine the regional development.
It also acknowledged that the combination of drug
trafficking and other forms of transnational organised crimes pose a
particular challenge to the stability and rule of law in border areas.
The six nations reaffirmed their determination to
overcome the drug problem in East Asia, assuring their efforts to
eliminate the drug problem in the region.
They also
agreed to strengthen trans-border cooperation and share experience in
preventing drug abuse, treating drug addicts and raising the community’s
awareness of drug impacts.
In 1993, a memorandum of
understanding on drug control was signed by four nations namely China,
Laos, Myanmar and Thailand through the coordination of UNODC.
The cooperation was extended with Cambodia and Vietnam by signing the same agreement in 1995.-VNA