FBIS4-26902 "drchi124_q_94005"
FBIS-CHI-94-124 Daily Report 24 Jun 1994
Southwest Region

Yunnan Official Discusses Drug Enforcement Efforts

Yunnan Official Discusses Drug Enforcement Efforts HK2806004994 Beijing ZHONGGUO XINWEN SHE in Chinese 0343 GMT 24 Jun 94 HK2806004994 Beijing ZHONGGUO XINWEN SHE Chinese BFN [Report on interview with Peng Jianfei, secretary of the Yunnan Provincial Drug Enforcement Commission, by correspondents Na Jiahua (4780 1367 7520) and Li Yirong (2621 1355 5816) on Seventh International No-Drug Day; place not given: "Plug the Sources and Stop the Flow, the Situation Is Grim -- Peng Jianfei (1756 1696 7378) on Drug Enforcement in Yunnan"] [Text] Kunming 24 Jun (ZHONGGUO XINWEN SHE) -- Peng Jianfei, secretary of the Yunnan Provincial Drug Enforcement Commission, gave an interview on the eve of the Seventh International No-Drug Day. Peng Jianfei said: The "Golden Triangle" lying outside Yunnan Province is one of the world's key narcotics-producing areas. A narcotics production base close to Yunnan's border accounts for over 60 percent of the "Golden Triangle's" entire output. The source lies outside Yunnan and drug traffickers cross into the province to ply their trade. Drug proliferation in Yunnan is very serious. Peng Jianfei said: Yunnan's border is some 4,000 km long and completely devoid of any natural barrier. With very busy border travel, it is ideal for drug smuggling. In the early 1980's, there were about 20,000 drug addicts from along Yunnan's borders, all of them opium-smokers. By 1990, drug addicts throughout the province had increased to some 57,000, most of them smoking highly concentrated heroin instead of opium. These drug addicts are spending all their money on drugs, their health is gone, and most of them are completely unscrupulous. Over 70 percent of them have committed crimes of various sorts, such as theft, prostitution, burglary, and murder, which pose a great threat to society. Society as a whole is deeply troubled by this phenomenon. State President Jiang Zemin pointed out in all seriousness that in a sense, the problem of drug abuse and drug trafficking is threatening the prosperity of the whole Chinese people, and he warned that this was no alarmist talk. Peng Jianfei told us that Yunnan has been strengthening its power to fight against narcotics over last 10 years or so, and especially in the past few years, and has scored increasingly outstanding results. By 1993, the province's drug population had been put under control. Annual drug cases solved rose from hundreds to thousands, and drugs seized were measured in tonnes instead of grams. From January to May this year, the province solved 1,955 drug cases, seizing 2,118.6 kg of heroin, opium, and other drugs, and 13.16 million yuan in drug money; and arresting 2,808 drug criminals. It also seized 21 guns of various kinds, as well as large quantities of stolen goods. The number of cases solved, the number of arrests, and the amount of heroin seized rose 29, 15, and 27 percent, respectively. Peng Jianfei continued: Drug crime over the last few years has acquired a number of new characteristics: More and more such crimes are committed by gangs; criminals are becoming more professional; more crimes are being committed outside the borders; and the means of crime are becoming more covert, secretive, and modernized. There has been a sharp increase in bribery involving huge amounts of money, arms trafficking, and violent resistance of inspections. A total of some 40 such cases have been reported since last year. The Yunnan police are targeting these criminals, cracking down on them mercilessly, and meting out just punishments. Secretary Peng stressed that narcotics will remain a problem unless their supply is cut. Aimed at the problem of drugs filtering through its borders, the Chinese Government and police have held talks on many different levels with the governments and police authorities of its neighboring countries concerning drug enforcement. Statements were issued from these border meetings that anyone breaking Chinese drug laws will be subject to punishment by Chinese law! Meanwhile, international cooperation in drug enforcement has made progress. On 24 May, China, Burma, and the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs held a meeting in Kunming, where they reached consensus and achieved substantive results in the areas of pooling information, joint investigation of cases, and substitute crops. The meeting will prove a motive force for future drug enforcement. Peng Jianfei said: Yunnan's efforts against narcotics have caught the world's attention. In recent years, senior government officials from many countries, delegates from international organizations, and domestic and foreign reporters have come to Yunnan to take a personal look at the province's antidrug achievements. The trip sharpened their originally dim understanding, and they all agreed that Yunnan's antidrug work had made an important contribution to the international community. It was even truer when the visitors were visibly touched by the loyalty of the police officers when they saw them camping in the rough and manning their posts under extremely difficult onditions. On a fact-finding tour of Kunming early this year, Robert Gelbard, U.S. assistant secretary of state for international narcotics matters, said that "the Yunnan police are on the frontline of the international drug fight," expressing his hope for close cooperation with China in drug enforcement. Visiting officials suggested promoting China's antidrug experience all over the world. In conclusion, Peng Jianfei stated that the antidrug effort will not stop for a moment as long as drugs are still around. It is the sacred duty of the Yunnan police to stem the tide and plug sources of supply, eliminate drugs, and stop them from harming China and the world.