A GROUP of 35 Myanmar police officers left for China on August 26 to begin a month-long course as part of bilateral cooperation program to strengthen drug enforcement.

The group is the fourth from Myanmar since 2002 to undergo the training, provided at the Yunnan Police Officers’ Academy at Kunming.

The group, which includes 29 officers and other personnel from various branches of the Myanmar Police Force, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, will bring to 125 the number who have undergone the training.

Police Lieutenant-Colonel Mya Mya, a deputy director at the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control, under the ministry, said it was the biggest group to be sent to China so far and included 10 women, of whom four were officers.

The three previous groups had each comprised 30 people, she said.

“We welcome this training because it contributes to professional development as well as the improvement of activities for suppressing narcotics trafficking,” Police Lieutenant-Colonel Mya Mya said.

The training began after Myanmar and China signed a memorandum of understanding in January 2001 to cooperate in combating the drug trade.

Police Lieutenant-Colonel Mya Mya said the subjects taught in the course included investigative techniques, the identification of narcotics and precursor chemicals and public education programs.