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