Where is Burma’s ‘war on methamphetamine’?
Burma’s reinvigorated ‘war on opium’ serves to distract from the fact that the methamphetamine trade is both a far greater problem, and one that Burmese troops and members of the government play a key role in
Methamphetamine use ‘rapidly’ rising in Burma
Nov 27, 2009 (DVB), Figures released by the United Nations' drugs agency show that use of methamphetamine in Burma is on the rise, and is having an increasingly detrimental effect[…]
Change brewing in Burma’s poppy country?
There’s been a steady decline in the cultivation of opium poppy in recent years.
From 2015 to 2017, the production of poppy has decreased from 54,000 hectares to 41,000 hectares, so what’s behind this trend. . .
The battle over Yangon’s Dala bridge
Bridges over major rivers can transform local, as well as national, economies. But not everyone is in favour of building a $168 million bridge linking the congested downtown of Yangon with the poor and rural township of Dala to the south.
Police seize drugs worth over $1 million in Shan and Karen State
Drugs worth approximately 1.6 billion kyat ($1.15 million USD) were seized in Shan State over the weekend.
Malaysia makes record bust of crystal meth, shipped from Burma
Malaysia has made its largest ever seizure of crystal methamphetamine, officials said on Monday, finding nearly 1.2 tonnes of the drug disguised as tea in a shipment from Burma, and arrested six suspected traffickers.
ASEAN looks to tackle organised crime
ASEAN member states met at the United Nations to set up a framework for border control cooperation as latest statistics showed that illicit trade and organised crime amounts to $100 billion in the region.
Burma’s opium crop plummets but no victory over Asia’s narco-boom: UN
A “dramatic” drop in opium cultivation in Burma has underscored a regional boom in demand for illegal synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine, which many Asian countries are struggling to combat.
Over 500,000 pills seized in latest Maungdaw drug bust
More than 500,000 methamphetamine tablets were seized between Zula and Makyee Kone villages in Rakhine State on Wednesday morning, according to the Maungdaw district police force.
Crime Lead Story Nayyidaw News
Guns and drugs case involving ex-minister’s son ensnares over a dozen suspects
A total of 15 people, including the son of a former Union minister, will face charges following the seizure of a large cache of weaponry and illicit narcotics last month in Naypyidaw, the Myanmar Police Force has announced.
Phyo Ko Ko Tint San faces more charges in weapons smuggling case
The son of Burma’s former sports minister Tint San is also charged for possessing uniforms and logos of the Burmese military and police force.
Explosives, drugs seized in Maungdaw
Acting on a tip-off from residents in Letphwekya Village, security forces uncovered the cache of weapons beside a riverbank.
Former minister’s son caught at airport with firearms and drugs
Airport police said they found two pistols, 72 bullets, 12 methamphetamine pills, 1.5 grammes of powdered methamphetamine, and three walkie-talkies.
International Relations Lead Story News Rohingya
Bangladesh destroys boats ferrying Rohingya from Burma
Bangladeshi authorities have destroyed about 20 boats that ferried Rohingya Muslims fleeing violence in Burma, accusing smugglers of using the huge exodus to bring methamphetamine into the country.
Soldiers busted with speed pills in Maungdaw
The two soldiers were caught with 180,000 methamphetamine pills in their jeep.
Govt says it is drafting new drug control policy
A new national drug control policy is being drafted and will be implemented by the end of this year, according to Burma’s Ministry of Home Affairs.
Lead Story News Refugees Rohingya
Murders, masked men spook Rohingya in Bangladesh camps
Sources say a struggle for control of supplies to some makeshift refugee camps for Rohingya Muslims in Bangladesh is behind recent violence and the presence of masked men roaming the dark streets of the camps at night.
Burma, Thailand incinerate $800 million worth of drugs
Burma remains one of the world’s largest producers of illicit drugs, including opium, heroin and methamphetamines.
Thai murder drama moves to Burma
Burmese authorities are scrambling to locate three Thai women allegedly involved in the murder of a 22-year-old karaoke bar worker.
UWSA warns of action after police raid Lashio office
Burma’s most powerful ethnic armed group lashes out at the government after police raid one of its offices, ratcheting up tensions following months of deadly clashes between the army and ethnic militants.
Bangladesh to ban cold pill chemical to fight meth surge blamed on Burma
Bangladesh is to ban the import of the cold-medicine component pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient in illicit methamphetamine production, anti-narcotics officials said, after purchases spiked in tandem with a boom in the illegal drug “ya ba.”
Crime Drugs Lead Story News Rohingya
Rohingya refugees sucked into booming Bangladesh drug trade
Bangladesh says the influx of Rohingya fleeing Buddhist-majority Burma is partly to blame for soaring methamphetamine use in its cities.
Conflict Lead Story News Peace Process
Wa leader warns no peace in sight
The head of Burma’s most powerful ethnic armed group has warned that fighting in the country’s restive borderlands has reached a critical point, threatening to derail the government’s wobbling push for peace.
Crime Drugs Lead Story News Tenasserim
Warrant issued after drug trail leads to military intel officer
Authorities in the coastal town of Myeik, Tenasserim Division, have issued an arrest warrant for a military intelligence officer with alleged connections to the illicit narcotics trade.
Arakan Crime Drugs Lead Story News
Monk arrested in Maungdaw after monastery raid uncovers yaba stash
As part of a recently launched crackdown on illegal narcotics in Arakan State, Burmese police seized over 4.6 million yaba pills in Maungdaw Township allegedly belonging to a monk, who has been accused of stashing the drugs in his monastery.
Drug smuggler, thought to be Burmese ethnic, shot dead in Thailand
The unidentified man was found lying dead with a green rucksack on his back containing methamphetamine pills.
Through reclusive Wa, China’s reach extends into Suu Kyi’s Burma
China is extending its considerable influence in Wa State, a self-administered statelet in Burma the size of Belgium
Farmers struggle to turn away from illicit but lucrative opium
At a remote farm about two hours away from Loikaw, capital of Karenni State, farmers scrape out raw opium from the poppies they’ve grown.
UWSA tin mine circumvents US sanctions
Wa tin likely ends up in an array of products made by US and other international companies, says a new Reuters report.
Crime Drugs Lead Story News Pegu Division
Korean drug suspect’s translator arrested
The translator for a South Korean NGO worker under police investigation for alleged possession of yaba pills has been detained, according to local police.
