Press Conference

Col. San Pwint extends greeting at the regular press conference with local and foreign journalists.

A regular press conference was held at Tatmadaw Guest House on Inya Road here at 9.30 am today.

It was attended by Minister for Labour U Tin Win, Vice-Chief of Military Intelligence Maj-Gen Kyaw Win, Deputy Minister for Information Brig-Gen Aung Thein, Deputy Minister for Home Affairs Brig-Gen Thura Myint Maung, high-ranking military officers, departmental heads, information officials, U Sein Win of Kyodo News Agency, Patron U Hla Htwe, President U Sao Kai Hpa and member correspondents of Myanmar Foreign Correspondents Club and guests.

Minister for Labour U Tin Win replies to queries raised by local and foreign journalists at the regular press conference.

As explained by Col. San Pwint at the meeting, the Government of the Union of Myanmar is making every endeavour from all aspects to reconstruct Myanmar as a peaceful, modern, and developed nation. But KNU and ABSDF terrorist groups in order to sabotage these efforts are committing all kinds of violence to disrupt peace in the countryside, cause turmoil, murder defenceless and innocent villagers and wreak destruction of their homes and villages. Thus at about 0420 hours on 14 May 2002 a combined contingent of terrorists of the KNU Central Security Special Battalion 103 led by Saw Nay Hsay of battalion commander rank and terrorists of the ABSDF with a strength of about 100 men entered and attacked the village of Min Let Pan Village in Myawaddy Township on the Myanmar-Thai border. The 16 May issue of the Thai newspaper the Nation, in reporting the incident deliberately distorted facts, and falsely claimed that a KNU force of about 100 clashed with a combined force of the Myanmar Armed Forces and the DKBA, and that the KNU were able to seize 200,000 tablets of stimulant drugs in the raid. Likewise, the 16 May issue of the Bangkok Post reported that a force of 100 KNU insurgents, at about 0500 hours on 15 May, 2002 attacked a Myanmar Army post encamped at Min Let Pan Village with both heavy and light weapons; that the skirmish lasted about 90 minutes and that casualties consisted of 4 Myanmar Army soldiers and 6 DKBA members killed, with 4 KNU insurgents wounded. The report went on to allege that this Myanmar Armed Forces post was a transit point for temporary storage of psychotropic narcotic drugs before being conveyed into Thailand for sale. This was the flimsy and false excuse given for the attack as reported in the newspaper.

Vice-Chief of Military Intelligence Maj-Gen Kyaw Win replies to queries raised by
local and foreign journalists at the regular press conference.

The actual events that took place at about 0420 hours on 15 May 2002 were as follows:

A combined strength of 100 insurgents of the Central Security Special Battalion 103 of the KNU terrorist group led by Saw Nay Hsay of battalion commander rank, and some ABSDF insurgents formed themselves into 3 groups and the first two groups taking up different positions west of Min Let Pan village first bombarded it with thirty rounds of heavy mortar fire. The third remaining group made a detour to Mae Kok Kin village in Thai territory, crossed the Thaung Yin River on the Myanmar-Thai border and then at 0530 hours entered and attacked Min Let Pan village, after which taking the same route they returned to the other side of the border and climbed on to three Hilux pick-up trucks that were waiting on the banks of the creek of Mae Kok Kin village and made their departure. In the attack 3 members of the village People’s Militia were killed, and two members of the DKBA who happened to be in the village at the time and two other members of the village People’s Militia were wounded. The wounded are being given medical treatment at the Myawaddy Hospital.The reports carried by Thai newspapers concerning the above incident have absolutely no foundation. There were no skirmishes between the KNU terrorists on the one hand and a combined force of government troops and the KDBA on the other. Moreover, the Myanmar Army has no outpost or encampment in the said village. The DKBA also has no encampment in the village although DKBA members make occasional visits. So the allegation that 200,000 tablets of stimulant drugs were seized from the DKBA camp in the village has no credibility. It is totally false and the reports in the papers are merely feeble attempts to throw suspicion on the DKBA group as producers of narcotic drugs.

Map shwoing KNU and ABSDF attack Min Let Pan Village
in Myawaddy Township on the Myanmar-Thai border.

This is not the first attempt made by Thai newspapers to falsely accuse the DKBA of being involved in the narcotic drug trade. In April 2001 Thai newspapers carried false reports which claimed that the Thai military had clashed with a group that was carrying contraband drugs in Ban Choon Sut Village in Hpok Hpa District in Thailand and seized 7 million 6 hundred thousand tablets of stimulant drugs and identified the smugglers as members of the DKBA. We have already briefed news correspondents at a previous press conference on this incident and have provided irrefutable evidence that the allegations made were baseless.

The villager is being given medical
treatment at the Myawaddy Hospital.

Furthermore we have also proved with solid evidence that the reports published in Thai newspapers to the effect that on 22-4-2001 the SURA terrorists group had launched an assault on the Myanmar Armed Forces Camp at Pachi and seized 170,000 tablets of psychotropic drugs, are total fabrications. Another allegation made was that again on 8-2-2002, the SURA had attacked a Myanmar Armed Forces Camp at Mae Kyot and had been able to seize 50,000 tablets of stimulant drugs. In this case also we have been able to prove that these scenarios are not based on facts and that they were written and reported by the newspapers only after close orchestration with the terrorist groups before the latter made their moves.

The news correspondents present here all know that the DKBA is a group whose members have pledged to be life – long vegetarians and to faithfully keep to the Five Precepts of Buddhism and therefore have no connection with any form of intoxicants or narcotic drugs. Their area is totally free of opium or the production of any form of narcotic drugs. So we can only conclude that these false reports and unfounded accusations are part of a deliberate conspiracy to present a false picture of Myanmar to the whole world, as a country producing narcotic drugs all along its borders. Today’s press conference was convened in order to inform both local and foreign news correspondents that the false reports fabricated by Thai newspapers have become increasingly more blatant as a result of which it is becoming more and more apparent that they are nothing but a pack lies.

The Government of the Union of Myanmar in truth has accelerated measures and employed every approach to eradicate narcotic drugs from all aspects. Greater success has been achieved in interdiction through cooperation with neighbouring countries. There is an exchange of information with neighbouring countries that has led to apprehension of narcotic drug offenders and there has also been a transfer of suspected criminals. We have, in previous press briefings, also clarified the steps we have taken in narcotic drug control. Recently we apprehended and handed over narcotic drug offenders from China who had absconded from justice.

Chinese citizen Li Chon Chein (age 40 years) who had been charged with narcotic drug offenses and had absconded from China was apprehended by the ‘Wa’ national group in the Namtip Region, Special Region 2 in northern Shan State on 2 May. On 4 May he was transferred into custody of responsible officials of the Lin Chan Region Drug Control agency of China. Again on 3 May the Police Force of Lon Chuan District informed and requested the cooperation of the Myanmar authorities for the apprehension of the main suspect in the seizure of 9.38 kilograms in the town of Hosa in Lon Chuan District who according to their information had absconded to the Lweje region, Kachin State in Myanmar. The narcotic drug task forces in Myanmar therefore carried out search and investigation in Lweje as requested. As a result the suspect Hsay Yon was apprehended on 10 May and transferred into the custody of the Lon Chuan District Police Force officials on 12 May.

In the interdiction of narcotic drugs, not only the Government of the Union of Myanmar but the national peace groups have stepped up cooperation and taken action against narcotic drug offenders. The national peace groups have issued their own regional edicts regarding involvement in illegal narcotic drug activities. The Kokang Group of Special Region 1 as of April 2002 started searches in the towns of Laukkai, Kongyan and Chin Shwe Haw and thus seized .55 kilogram of heroin, 27,000 tablets of stimulant drugs, 142.5 kilos of amphetamine, 1.209 kilos of caffeine, 6508 liters of precursor liquid chemicals, 9183 kilos of chemical powder and related equipment. Thirty persons involved were also captured. Likewise firm action is being taken against narcotic drug offenders in the ‘Wa’ region.

Maj-Gen Kyaw Win answers queries of journalists.

The Thai media, in publishing false reports about the narcotic drug situation in Myanmar at a time when the Government of the Union of Myanmar is raising the momentum of drug eradication measures, is therefore trying to obstruct the Government’s efforts. Their actions can also be seen as attempts to sow seeds of misunderstanding in the international community concerning Myanmar. These falsified reports of various newspapers and news agencies are of course a source of annoyance but they will never be able to deter us in our war against narcotic drugs for it is a National Task to which we are fully committed.

Minister for Labour U Tin Win and Maj-Gen Kyaw Win replied to the queries raised by local and foreign journalists. The press conference concluded at 10 am.