Myanmar burns opium poppy seeds

Myanmar burns opium poppy seeds

MYANMAR: Military authorities have burned more than 8,500
kilograms of opium poppy seeds, stimulant pills and other drugs
in their latest show of determination to stamp out the drug
trade, a newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The event was part of a new drug eradication program named
"Project Hell Flower," in which the government persuades opium
poppy farmers to swap their seeds for cereals such as rice, wheat
and corn, as well as vegetables.

It was not immediately known how much food products the
farmers received when they turned in their poppy seeds in the
latest exchange.

The drug-burning on Sunday in Myanmar's southern Shan State
was the seventh organized in the area since June by the Central
Committee for Drug Abuse Control.

The UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention says
Myanmar is likely the second biggest opium producer in the world
after Afghanistan, with production in 2002 estimated to be 828
metric tons (912 U.S. tons), compared to 1,097 metric tons last
year. -- AP