Can ASEAN rid itself of drugs?

Can ASEAN rid itself of drugs?

By Kavi Chongkittavorn

BANGKOK: The Association of Southeast Asians is proud that it
discussed combating drugs as early as 1972, even though little
progress has been made since then. Before 1992, Thailand was the
only ASEAN member that was part of the notorious Golden Triangle,
the world's largest heroine-producing area. Now all the triangle
countries (Burma, Laos and Thailand) are in the same 10-member
grouping. But the scourge of drugs has not been eradicated.

There are some hopes that future ASEAN efforts on illicit
drugs will yield more results as Burma, the region's biggest drug
producer, is now part of the grouping and has pledged to
cooperate fully with its members.

During the past two decades, the ASEAN effort to combat drug
abuse and trafficking has been rather half-baked. The member
countries preferred to do things their own ways. Concrete
cooperation was very limited.

In this case, more than other ASEAN country, Thailand has
suffered the most. Given the proximity to the drug-producing
areas, many Thais have succumbed to the flood of illegal
narcotics over the border. ASEAN countries still viewed these
problems at that time as merely social and health issues, which
needed to be settled domestically. The fact that the ASEAN
members suffered from narcotics problems in different ways meant
they wanted to seek their own solutions.

ASEAN's change of heart and approach began in the late 1980s.
The grouping decided to go for a more regional approach in trying
to prevent drug abuse and trafficking. Since then, ASEAN has been
trying to speak with one voice on drug policies and strategy.
Meanwhile several agreements have been signed and the first
action plan on drugs agreed upon. One of the recommendations of
the plan was to incorporate measures to reduce both supply and
demand and to increase the rule of law and order in each member
country.

It would take another decade before ASEAN felt the need to
work closely together to combat this menace. At the Kuala Lumpur
summit in 1997 the ASEAN leaders set a goal of making the region
drug-free by 2020.

At the upcoming ASEAN annual meeting in Hanoi later this month
Thailand wants to see more cooperation from ASEAN members and
their dialogue partners. Both China and the United States have
been singled out as the countries that could help the region most
in the fight against drugs.

Suchitra Hiranpreuck, ASEAN director-general, said Thailand
would propose at the meeting that 2003 be designated an ASEAN
anti-drug year to highlight the danger of widespread drug abuse
and trafficking and to boost cooperation among the member
countries.

Thailand has been in the hot seat because of the continuing
influx of amphetamines, popularly known locally as yaa baa, or
mad pills, from Burma over the past five years. The proliferation
of yaa baa has serious implications for Thai security. The Thai
authorities have already accused Burma of trying to weaken
national security by exporting the drugs across the border.

In fact, this singular concern was the main focus of the
previous government in dealing with Burma and narcotics. The
Chuan government argued that drug trafficking was considered a
serious threat to national security. That helped to explain why
there was uniformity of approach among concerned agencies and
authorities -- something lacking in the Thaksin government.
Furthermore Thailand also sought assistant from China and the
United States.

Bangkok viewed Beijing's cooperation on anti-narcotics
programs as pivotal because of its close ties with the regime in
Rangoon and with Laos. At the end of last year the Chuan
government had successfully engaged the Chinese and solicited
Beijing's willingness to participate in the regional effort.
Subsequent follow-ups by the Thaksin government have led to
China's pledge to convene a drug summit to be attended by
Thailand, Burma and Laos.

Meanwhile U.S. assistance has been aimed at helping Thailand
improve its anti-drug suppression operations along the Burmese
border. Over the past two years, Thailand's ability to detect and
intercept drug shipments has been boosted by modern equipment
provided by the United States.

Now the question is whether Thailand can convince ASEAN that
illicit drugs are a security threat to regional interests, not
just to Thai security. Furthermore its efforts to garner
assistance from China and the United States are imperative for
the region to combat drugs.

When Bangkok hosted the ASEAN annual meeting last year, the
grouping agreed to move up the time frame for creating a drug-
free ASEAN from 2020 to 2015. The new time frame will intensify
anti-narcotics cooperation within ASEAN and with its dialog
partners.

Thailand believes that through a regional framework, Burma
will be under pressure to be more cooperative, especially if it
is part of the shared ASEAN goals. During the Cambodian conflict,
Thailand was able to mobilize ASEAN to stand firm against the
foreign occupation of Cambodia because the grouping viewed it as
a common threat.

Now Bangkok hopes to transform what is perceived to be the
Thai-Burmese drug problem into a regional issue. A drug-free
ASEAN can become a reality only if Burma fully cooperates with
the grouping as it has promised without any condition.

-- The Nation/Asia News Network