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A6   WORLD NEWS
                       Tuesday 31 May 2022
            1 billion pills seized: East, S.E. Asia hits ominous drug peak



            By GRANT PECK                                                                                                       crime syndicates have the
            Associated Press                                                                                                    means to continue to pro-
            BANGKOK (AP) — The num-                                                                                             duce  more  meth  and  to
            ber  of  methamphetamine                                                                                            sell it to a growing popula-
            tablets  seized  in  East  and                                                                                      tion  of  young  people  with
            Southeast  Asia  exceeded                                                                                           increased spending power.
            a billion last year for the first                                                                                   The political landscape has
            time, highlighting the scale                                                                                        also served to ramp up pro-
            of  illegal  drug  production                                                                                       duction.
            and trafficking in the region                                                                                       In  Myanmar,  the  military
            and the challenges of fight-                                                                                        seized power from an elect-
            ing it, the U.N. said Monday.                                                                                       ed  government  last  year
            The  1.008  billion  tablets                                                                                        and  is  now  engaged  in
            which  would  weigh  about                                                                                          an armed struggle against
            91  tons  altogether    were                                                                                        foes of military rule.
            part  of  a  regionwide  haul                                                                                       Drug  production  in  Myan-
            of almost 172 tons of meth-                                                                                         mar  is  often  associated
            amphetamine  in  all  forms,                                                                                        with  armed  ethnic  minor-
            and was seven times higher                                                                                          ity  groups  that  sometimes
            than the amount seized 10                                                                                           battle the government and
            years earlier, the U.N. Office                                                                                      each other.
            on Drugs and Crime said in   Reporters  view  packages  of  methamphetamines  on  a  table  during  a  press  conference  at   “Every  group  denies  in-
            a report.                    Narcotics Suppression Bureau in Bangkok, Thailand on July 15, 2019.                    volvement in drug produc-
            “I think the region is literally                                                                   Associated Press  tion  and  trafficking  and
            swimming  in  methamphet-                                                                                           point  at  other  groups  as
            amine,” said Jeremy Doug-    trated in the Mekong (River  where the borders of Myan-   seizures  with  more  prod-  responsible,  but  the  drug
            las, Southeast Asia regional  region)  and  in  particular  mar,  Laos  and  Thailand  uct,” Douglas said.          economy  is  arguably  the
            representative  for  the  U.N.  Thailand,  Laos  and  Myan-  meet,  was  historically  a  “The  chemical  situation  is  largest  part  of  the  econo-
            agency,  at  a  news  con-   mar,” Douglas told The As-   major  production  area  for  highly complex and there’s  my  in  most  or  many  parts
            ference in the Thai capital  sociated Press in an email.  opium  and  hosted  many  no essential chemicals be-      of  Shan  and  border  areas
            Bangkok  unveiling  the  re-  The  increased  production  of the labs that converted  ing  seized  and  they  just  of  Myanmar  and  there  is
            port on “Synthetic Drugs in  makes  the  drug  cheaper  it to heroin. Decades of po-   continue to flow unabated,  plenty  of  intel  connecting
            East and Southeast Asia.”    and  more  accessible,  cre-  litical instability have made  primarily  through  Laos  into  groups  to  labs  and  ship-
            “So  there’s  going  to  have  ating greater risk to people  Myanmar’s  frontier  regions  (Myanmar’s)  Shan  State,”  ments,” Douglas said.q
            to be a radical policy shift  and   their   communities,  largely  lawless,  to  be  ex-  Douglas  added.  “We  also  The report also called Laos
            by East Asia to address this  the  report  said.  Accord-  ploited  by  drug  producers  have  huge  money  laun-   one  of  the  countries  most
            problem or it’s just going to  ing  to  Douglas,  when  he  and traffickers.           dering  operations  at  play  impacted   by   metham-
            continue to grow,” Douglas  first worked in the region in  Douglas  said  at  Monday’s  in the region. We have no  phetamine  trafficked  out
            said.  The  drugs  are  largely  2002-2007,  a  meth  tablet  news   conference   that  attempt    fundamentally  of Myanmar. One of Asia’s
            consumed  in  Southeast  cost five to six times what it  there  is  a  fundamental  at  the  end  of  the  day  to  biggest-ever  drug  busts
            Asia  but  also  exported  to  costs now.                 need  to  refocus  law  en-  address  demand  which  was made in Laos last Oc-
            New  Zealand  and  Austra-   Methamphetamine  is  easy  forcement  efforts  against  is  seemingly  growing  and  tober,  with  police  there
            lia, Hong Kong, Korea and  to make and has supplant-      the drug trade.              can  continue  to  grow  be-  seizing more than 55.6 mil-
            Japan in East Asia, and in-  ed  opium  and  its  deriva-  “There’s lots and lots of sei-  cause of the price point of  lion   methamphetamine
            creasingly to South Asia.    tive heroin to become the  zures  being  made  and  no  the drug is so cheap.”         pills  in  a  single  raid.  They
            “Production  and  traffick-  dominant  illegal  drug  in  impact being made on the  Given  the  problem  of  lim-   also  seized  about  1,500  ki-
            ing  of  methamphetamine  Southeast Asia for both use  business  itself.  Organized  ited  governance  and  low  lograms  (3,300  pounds)  of
            jumped  yet  again  as  sup-  and export.                 crime  just  keep  cranking  attention  to  the  issue,  the  crystal methamphetamine,
            ply became super concen-     The  Golden  Triangle  area,  out  the  volume,  replacing  UN. agency said organized  state media reported.q


            IIndonesian fishermen rescue 10 more survivors of sunken boat


                                                                      Associated Press             The  KM  Ladang  Pertiwi  02  mon  in  Indonesia,  an  ar-
                                                                      MAKASSAR, Indonesia (AP)  sank in bad weather in the  chipelago  of  more  than
                                                                      — Ten more survivors of an  Makassar Strait on Friday af-  17,000 islands, where ferries
                                                                      Indonesian  boat  that  sank  ternoon. It had left Makas-  are often used for transport
                                                                      three days earlier were res-  sar  on  Thursday  and  was  and  safety  regulations  are
                                                                      cued Monday by local fish-   headed  to  Kalmas  Island  often disregarded.
                                                                      ermen,  leaving  11  people  in South Sulawesi province.  In  2018,  an  overcrowded
                                                                      still missing, an official said.  The  cause  of  the  sinking  ferry with about 200 people
                                                                      The  captain  and  other  was still being investigated.   on  board  sank  in  a  deep
                                                                      crew  of  the  cargo  vessel,  The  vessel  was  initially  de-  volcanic  crater  lake  in
                                                                      which was carrying 42 peo-   scribed  as  a  passenger  North  Sumatra  province,
                                                                      ple, were among those res-   ferry,  but  Djunaidi  later  killing 167 people.
                                                                      cued  Monday,  said  Djun-   clarified that it was a cargo  In  one  of  the  country’s
                                                                      aidi, head of the provincial  boat  carrying  construction  worst  recorded  disasters,
            n  this  photo  released  by  the  National  Search  and  Rescue   search and rescue agency.  materials.  Thirty-six  passen-  an   overcrowded   pas-
            Agency (BASARNAS), survivors ride on an Indonesian Navy boat
            after being retrieved from the water during the rescue operation   “They are safe and in good  gers  had  asked  for  a  ride  senger  ship  sank  in  Febru-
            for the victims of a sinking cargo boat in the Makassar Strait,   condition,”  said  Djunaidi,  on the boat with its six crew  ary  1999  with  332  people
            Indonesia, Sunday, May 29, 2022.                          who like many Indonesians  members.                       aboard. There were only 20
                                                     Associated Press  uses only one name.         Ferry  tragedies  are  com-  survivors.q
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