Junta oppose KIO’s drug elimination plan
November 14, 2010 / The Kachin Post

Burmese military authority in Kachin State of northern Burma blatantly opposed the drug elimination program initiated by the Kachin Independence Organization, said a KIO officer.

The KIO officer, who involved in KIO’s drug elimination project, said Burmese military authority in the State capital Myitkyina arrested a young Kachin named Maran Htoi Awng on last Friday due to his activities of distributing and posting KIO’s anti-drug pamphlet and posters in town.Several other Kachin youth, who were trained and dispatched by KIO’s anti-program, also believed to be detained by junta authority, KIO officer added.

The Kachin Independence Organization, one of the strongest armed organizations standing against the Burmese military rule, launched Statewide anti-drug campaign in the middle of last month, stating that the opium and narcotic drugs are the public enemy Number One of the people of the Kachin State and issued warning to drug users, producers and traffickers to stop their drug related activities on October 15, 2010. KIO also warned that anyone who breaches the anti-drug law will be charged with harsh punishment up to capital punishment.

In the middle of October, Burma Army stopped all vehicles carrying KIO’s anti-drug sticker at the Laja Yang check point, a demarcation area between KIO and Burma Army control, to remove the anti-drug sticker at the gun point. At the end of last month, the soldiers of Burma Army check point at Bala Min Htin Bridge on the Irrawaddy River sized and thrown tons of KIO’s anti-drug stickers and posters into the River.  

The Burmese military authority’s obstruction against KIO’s drug elimination program demonstrated that they are embarrassed of what KIO’s anti-drug campaign that they haven’t done in full force as a ruling authority of a country, said the KIO officer. “Drug eradication is our job, not KIO” murmured by the Burmese military authority as quoted by the KIO officer.

The initial phase of the KIO’s anti-drug campaign kicked off with public education and crop substitution for local farmers. The organization is funding to thousands of acres of banana plantation in KIO control area for opium farmers, KIO officer said. However, Burmese military authority recently forces hundreds of workers to leave from KIO’s crop substitution project.  

“I believe drug business in the Kachin State are directly or indirectly associated with Burmese military authority,” said the KIO officer.

More than seventy percent of youth in Kachin State are drug addicts, according the local NGO.