Myanmar&nbsp;authorities torched&nbsp;over&nbsp;half a billion&nbsp;dollars&nbsp;worth of narcotics across the country Saturday, sending&nbsp;opium,&nbsp;heroin&nbsp;and methamphetamine up in smoke as experts warn smugglers have adapted to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">COVID-19</a> travel restrictions and are back in business.

Sacks of green-brown cannabis were stacked high at a compound in the commercial capital Yangon, alongside bin-liner-sized bags of red-pink pills, marking one of&nbsp;Myanmar's offerings for the annual World Drug Day burning.

Slabs of&nbsp;heroin, bags of ketamine and tramadol and ice were also laid out on the pyre.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/myanmar-drug-surge-worry-for-neighbours-including-india-381602">Myanmar drug surge worry for neighbours including India</a>

Stashes were also burned at ceremonies held in Mandalay and Taunggyi in Shan State,&nbsp;Myanmar's anti-drugs&nbsp;police department said.&nbsp;

A total of just under $668 million&nbsp;dollars&nbsp;of narcotics, including 224 million meth tablets, were torched in the three cities.

As a woman barked a command&nbsp;over&nbsp;a loudspeaker in Yangon, four men in military uniform pressed buttons on tables in front of them, and the&nbsp;stash&nbsp;went up, flames licking the early morning sky.

Firefighters stood ready and well back from the noxious smoke.

Despite COVID-19 travel restrictions, there has been an "overall sustained expansion of the methamphetamine market in East and Southeast Asia" the UN said earlier this month.&nbsp;

Myanmar's troubled Shan State remains the main source of the drug, it added, which is often smuggled on to wealthier overseas markets such as Australia and Japan in its more potent crystallised form.

The body has warned of an even bigger deluge as&nbsp;Myanmar's legal economy tanks, following weeks of nationwide unrest and strike action following the military takeover.

The Golden Triangle, traversing the&nbsp;Myanmar, Laos and Thailand frontiers, has for decades been the hub of Southeast Asia's lucrative drug trade.

Myanmar's poppy-covered hills provide an ideal location for illicit labs, with a largely unchecked supply of precursor chemicals flooding in from China.

Myanmar authorities torched over half a billion dollars worth of narcotics across the country Saturday, sending opium, heroin and methamphetamine up in smoke as experts warn smugglers have adapted to COVID-19 travel restrictions and are back in business.

Myanmar authorities torched over half a billion dollars worth of narcotics across the country Saturday, sending opium, heroin and methamphetamine up in smoke as experts warn smugglers have adapted to COVID-19 travel restrictions and are back in business. Sacks of green-brown cannabis were stacked high at a compound in the commercial capital Yangon, alongside bin-liner-sized bags of red-pink pills, marking one of Myanmar's offerings for the annual World Drug Day burning. Slabs of heroin, bags of ketamine and tramadol and ice were also laid out on the pyre. Also read | Myanmar drug surge worry for neighbours including India Stashes were also burned at ceremonies held in Mandalay and Taunggyi in Shan State, Myanmar's anti-drugs police department said. A total of just under $668 million dollars of narcotics, including 224 million meth tablets, were torched in the three cities. As a woman barked a command over a loudspeaker in Yangon, four men in military uniform pressed buttons on tables in front of them, and the stash went up, flames licking the early morning sky. Firefighters stood ready and well back from the noxious smoke. Despite COVID-19 travel restrictions, there has been an "overall sustained expansion of the methamphetamine market in East and Southeast Asia" the UN said earlier this month. Myanmar's troubled Shan State remains the main source of the drug, it added, which is often smuggled on to wealthier overseas markets such as Australia and Japan in its more potent crystallised form. The body has warned of an even bigger deluge as Myanmar's legal economy tanks, following weeks of nationwide unrest and strike action following the military takeover. The Golden Triangle, traversing the Myanmar, Laos and Thailand frontiers, has for decades been the hub of Southeast Asia's lucrative drug trade. Myanmar's poppy-covered hills provide an ideal location for illicit labs, with a largely unchecked supply of precursor chemicals flooding in from China.

Myanmar torches drugs stash worth over half a billion dollars

Myanmar is set to be placed on a watchlist by a global finance watchdog this week, amid concerns of money-laundering by transnational drug traffickers and weak regulation of its financial system, two sources familiar with deliberations said.

A decision to put Myanmar on the "grey list" by the Paris-based <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-to-remain-on-the-fatf-grey-list-281389">Financial Action Task Force</a> (FATF) would mean the inter-governmental body had found "strategic deficiencies" in the country's ability to counter money-laundering and terrorism financing.

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-to-remain-on-the-fatf-grey-list-281389">Pakistan to remain on FATF grey list</a>

While being on the list does not carry any sanctions, it could curtail the growth of financial, investment and trade flows to and from the Southeast Asian nation, a high-level official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.

Kyaw Win Thein, the head of Myanmar's Financial Intelligence Unit who is attending the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-to-remain-on-the-fatf-grey-list-281389">FATF </a>meeting in Paris this week, told Reuters that Myanmar "is not on the grey list so far". Its fate will be decided at a plenary meeting on Thursday, he said.

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-to-remain-on-the-fatf-grey-list-281389">FATF </a>typically announces its decisions on Friday at the end of its <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-to-remain-on-the-fatf-grey-list-281389">Paris </a>plenary meetings.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/fatf-calls-for-stricter-actions-from-pakistan-on-crackdown-of-terror-groups-269771">FATF calls for stricter actions from Pakistan on crackdown of terror groups</a>

Kyaw added that Myanmar's government has developed a strategic implementation plan to improve its ability to counter-money laundering.

He declined to elaborate but <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/is-china-myanmar-economic-corridor-turning-out-to-be-another-cpec-275688">Myanmar </a>recently introduced new requirements for companies to disclose beneficial ownership, and for banks to undertake better customer due diligence. It has also passed laws legalising its casinos after concerns unregulated gaming establishments were being exploited by transnational crime groups.

Two sources with knowledge of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/fatf-calls-for-stricter-actions-from-pakistan-on-crackdown-of-terror-groups-269771">FATF's </a>proceedings and its investigation into Myanmar said the watchdog found that implementation of the nation's anti-money laundering action plan was far from complete and it was on track to be put on the grey list at the meetings this week.

Myanmar lies at the heart of the "Golden Triangle" region, the epicentre of illicit drug production and trafficking in the Asia-Pacific. It also has "significant" problems with illegal jade mining, arms trafficking and logging, among other offences, an <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/fatf-meet-to-begin-in-paris-today-outcome-to-decide-paks-fate-on-terror-listing-255569">FATF </a>report in 2018 found.

"Myanmar faces extremely high levels of proceeds-generating crimes" and was "exposed to a large number of very significant money laundering threats", the report said.

The report also noted that the "activities of large-scale transnational crime groups" were "closely related" to ethnic armed groups which control swathes of Myanmar's territory.

Myanmar's government is in peace talks with most of those groups and some have been incorporated into Border Guard Forces allied to the country's military.

Meanwhile, corruption remains a "very significant challenge" in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/is-china-myanmar-economic-corridor-turning-out-to-be-another-cpec-275688">Myanmar </a>while its state-owned financial institutions and enterprises were "poorly governed and weakly regulated", the report added.

Twelve countries are on the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/fatf-calls-for-stricter-actions-from-pakistan-on-crackdown-of-terror-groups-269771">FATF's </a>grey list. Myanmar's expected inclusion on the list follows its first evaluation by the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/fatf-calls-for-stricter-actions-from-pakistan-on-crackdown-of-terror-groups-269771">FATF </a>since the watchdog changed its assessment methodology in 2012.

Myanmar is set to be placed on a watchlist by a global finance watchdog this week, amid concerns of money-laundering by transnational drug traffickers and weak regulation of its financial system, two sources familiar with deliberations said.

Myanmar is set to be placed on a watchlist by a global finance watchdog this week, amid concerns of money-laundering by transnational drug traffickers and weak regulation of its financial system, two sources familiar with deliberations said. A decision to put Myanmar on the "grey list" by the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) would mean the inter-governmental body had found "strategic deficiencies" in the country's ability to counter money-laundering and terrorism financing. Also read: Pakistan to remain on FATF grey list While being on the list does not carry any sanctions, it could curtail the growth of financial, investment and trade flows to and from the Southeast Asian nation, a high-level official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters. Kyaw Win Thein, the head of Myanmar's Financial Intelligence Unit who is attending the FATF meeting in Paris this week, told Reuters that Myanmar "is not on the grey list so far". Its fate will be decided at a plenary meeting on Thursday, he said. The FATF typically announces its decisions on Friday at the end of its Paris plenary meetings. Also read: FATF calls for stricter actions from Pakistan on crackdown of terror groups Kyaw added that Myanmar's government has developed a strategic implementation plan to improve its ability to counter-money laundering. He declined to elaborate but Myanmar recently introduced new requirements for companies to disclose beneficial ownership, and for banks to undertake better customer due diligence. It has also passed laws legalising its casinos after concerns unregulated gaming establishments were being exploited by transnational crime groups. Two sources with knowledge of the FATF's proceedings and its investigation into Myanmar said the watchdog found that implementation of the nation's anti-money laundering action plan was far from complete and it was on track to be put on the grey list at the meetings this week. Myanmar lies at the heart of the "Golden Triangle" region, the epicentre of illicit drug production and trafficking in the Asia-Pacific. It also has "significant" problems with illegal jade mining, arms trafficking and logging, among other offences, an FATF report in 2018 found. "Myanmar faces extremely high levels of proceeds-generating crimes" and was "exposed to a large number of very significant money laundering threats", the report said. The report also noted that the "activities of large-scale transnational crime groups" were "closely related" to ethnic armed groups which control swathes of Myanmar's territory. Myanmar's government is in peace talks with most of those groups and some have been incorporated into Border Guard Forces allied to the country's military. Meanwhile, corruption remains a "very significant challenge" in Myanmar while its state-owned financial institutions and enterprises were "poorly governed and weakly regulated", the report added. Twelve countries are on the FATF's grey list. Myanmar's expected inclusion on the list follows its first evaluation by the FATF since the watchdog changed its assessment methodology in 2012.

Myanmar set to be placed on global money laundering watchlist: Report

A 59-year-old Thai woman with dementia who left home eight months ago to see her son nearby, only to apparently walk 640 kilometres (400 miles) into China, arrived back in the kingdom Friday.

Kaeomanee Arjaw, who is from the ethnic Akha hill-tribe, was reported missing on June 12 from her house in the Thai province of Chiang Rai, part of the mountainous "Golden Triangle" zone which borders Laos and Myanmar.

She was found in the southern Chinese city of Kunming in late January carrying a Thai identity card, helping officials swiftly contact the local consulate.

China borders both Laos and Myanmar and it was not immediately clear which route she took across the remote frontiers or how long her journey took.&nbsp;

"She told officials she went there by foot, she kept walking, asking for food from stalls along the way," Colonel Aekkorn Butsabarbodin, of Chiang Rai immigration police told AFP.

On Thursday Kaeomanee's daughter Suchada, 35, flew with Thai officials to Kunming where the pair were filmed clasping each other -- the daughter on her knees, sobbing with relief -- in an emotional reunion.

In the footage, an official asks the woman where she was going when she left her daughter's home last June.

"I went to see my son... I met him, then I kept walking," the woman answers. "There were no cars around."&nbsp;

She had lost 20 kilograms along her journey, her jubilant daughter added.

Kaeomanee and her daughter flew back to Chiang Rai on Friday. 
&nbsp;

A 59-year-old Thai woman with dementia who left home eight months ago to see her son nearby, only to apparently walk 640 kilometres (400 miles) into China, arrived back in the kingdom Friday.

A 59-year-old Thai woman with dementia who left home eight months ago to see her son nearby, only to apparently walk 640 kilometres (400 miles) into China, arrived back in the kingdom Friday. Kaeomanee Arjaw, who is from the ethnic Akha hill-tribe, was reported missing on June 12 from her house in the Thai province of Chiang Rai, part of the mountainous "Golden Triangle" zone which borders Laos and Myanmar. She was found in the southern Chinese city of Kunming in late January carrying a Thai identity card, helping officials swiftly contact the local consulate. China borders both Laos and Myanmar and it was not immediately clear which route she took across the remote frontiers or how long her journey took. "She told officials she went there by foot, she kept walking, asking for food from stalls along the way," Colonel Aekkorn Butsabarbodin, of Chiang Rai immigration police told AFP. On Thursday Kaeomanee's daughter Suchada, 35, flew with Thai officials to Kunming where the pair were filmed clasping each other -- the daughter on her knees, sobbing with relief -- in an emotional reunion. In the footage, an official asks the woman where she was going when she left her daughter's home last June. "I went to see my son... I met him, then I kept walking," the woman answers. "There were no cars around." She had lost 20 kilograms along her journey, her jubilant daughter added. Kaeomanee and her daughter flew back to Chiang Rai on Friday.

Lost in China: Thai with dementia returns home after 640-kms detour

The Maldives &ndash; a small island nation in the Indian Ocean - is being used as a transshipment destination in the illicit drug trade, says the Maldives Police Service.

&ldquo;It is a popular transshipment destination in the illicit drug trade. Drug trades between countries for example like US and Thailand, Maldives becomes the transshipment destination. The narcotics that are being targeted to the Asian countries like Thailand and Philippines are transited in the Maldives and then transported or smuggled to those countries. These drugs normally come from western countries or somewhere from the US sometimes it&rsquo;s from Bolivia or some other country.&rdquo; Aminath Suzee, Deputy Head of Drug Enforcement Department, at the Maldives Police Service told me.

The drug problem is one of the most alarming issues in the Maldives with a population of fewer than 350000 people out of which more than 45% are youth. According to the first National Drug Use Survey in the Maldives released in 2013, there were an estimated 7,500 drug users in the Maldives. Majority of them were young people in the age group of 15-24.

Though the Maldives is neither a drug producing nor a cultivating country, the availability of drugs in the country does not seem to be limited at all.

Journey is an NGO formed by a group of Maldivian who are recovering addicts with a mission to help other addicts. They are working towards raising public awareness on drug addiction and its related issues. Ahmed Nazim, the chairperson of Journey, said that the availability of drugs is not the only reason for drug use, but it does play a role in the drug crisis.

&ldquo;Cigarettes are also available in the country, but there are non-smokers more than smokers. So we can&rsquo;t say the availability is the reason why people use drugs, but it is one factor, the availability of drugs in the country. If it has not been available nobody will be using drugs, but it is easily available here,&rdquo; he said.

Last year in August, Home Minister Azleen Ahmed said, 57 kilograms of drugs has been seized in in 2016, while 26 kilograms of drugs has been seized till then in 2017.

Beginning of the drug crisis

Drug crisis of the Maldives started with the country&rsquo;s increased exposure to the outside world. Drug-related issues have not been identified as a problem before the mid-1970s. It was said that the appearance of drug abuse in its present form seems to have coincided with the development of tourism industry in the early 1970s. However, there is no solid evidence to correlate this, since the period also witnessed many other changes, including global escalation of drug abuse and increased overseas travel by Maldivians.

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), official recognition of the drug problem in the Maldives came in 1977 when a person was arrested with 350 grams of hashish. As a result, the first principal legislative act of the Maldives dealing with narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances (The Law on Drugs) was passed the same year in order to help the legal system to deal with it and to act as a deterrent. According to UNODC drugs like heroin and cocaine was introduced to the Maldives in the early 1990s.

Strategic location and its vulnerability

Despite being a small island nation, the Maldives enjoys a strategic location along with key shipping routes. It&rsquo;s a blessing to be a country like the Maldives which is highly dependent on the imports from other countries but, unfortunately, the goods came with the bad. According to the police, the geographic location of the Maldives does have an impact when it comes to drug smuggling.

&ldquo;Since Maldives is geographically located in an important area in terms of trade routes, this has a huge impact on drug smuggling. Plays a huge role in the increase amount of drug smuggling into the Maldives. Most of the drugs are smuggled from the neighboring countries like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka via air and sea,&rdquo; Suzee said.

The Maldives is situated not too far from the Golden Triangle and Golden Crescent; Asia&rsquo;s two main illicit opium-producing areas. While Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia comprises of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand, the Golden Crescent in South Asia comprises of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan.

Moreover, hundreds of tourists arrive at the Maldives on a daily basis from across the globe, including Asia, Europe and other western countries. The exposure and the location do not only make it easy to smuggle drugs into the Maldives, but also make the country at risk of being used as a transshipment destination in the illicit drug trade.

Actions being taken for prevention

&ldquo;The Maldives emphasizes the need to join forces, especially among international partners, to effectively counter the world drug problem. In line with this objective, Maldives is working with countries in its region to establish a regional coordination centre for South Asia through the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation,&rdquo; said the Maldivian government official at the Thirtieth special session of United Nations General Assembly in 2016.

Maldives Police Service is also making efforts along with other authorities to combat the drug problem in the Maldives.

&ldquo;To prevent Maldives being used as a transshipment destination in illicit drug trade and to prevent smuggling narcotics into the Maldives, We are building our capacity of detection, we are strengthening security at the airports and seaports continuously and we are focusing on increasing human resource capacity by providing necessary trainings to the officers at the airports and seaports and our anti-drug policies are strengthened as well,&rdquo; Suzee said.

With tightened surveillance across the Maldives to eliminate smuggling and distribution of drugs, the Maldives police and border authorities have also started using K-9 dogs to detect drug smugglers. Yet more efforts are still needed to overcome the drug problem.

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

According to the first National Drug Use Survey in the Maldives released in 2013, there were an estimated 7,500 drug users in the Maldives. Majority of them were young people in the age group of 15-24.

The Maldives – a small island nation in the Indian Ocean - is being used as a transshipment destination in the illicit drug trade, says the Maldives Police Service. “It is a popular transshipment destination in the illicit drug trade. Drug trades between countries for example like US and Thailand, Maldives becomes the transshipment destination. The narcotics that are being targeted to the Asian countries like Thailand and Philippines are transited in the Maldives and then transported or smuggled to those countries. These drugs normally come from western countries or somewhere from the US sometimes it’s from Bolivia or some other country.” Aminath Suzee, Deputy Head of Drug Enforcement Department, at the Maldives Police Service told me. The drug problem is one of the most alarming issues in the Maldives with a population of fewer than 350000 people out of which more than 45% are youth. According to the first National Drug Use Survey in the Maldives released in 2013, there were an estimated 7,500 drug users in the Maldives. Majority of them were young people in the age group of 15-24. Though the Maldives is neither a drug producing nor a cultivating country, the availability of drugs in the country does not seem to be limited at all. Journey is an NGO formed by a group of Maldivian who are recovering addicts with a mission to help other addicts. They are working towards raising public awareness on drug addiction and its related issues. Ahmed Nazim, the chairperson of Journey, said that the availability of drugs is not the only reason for drug use, but it does play a role in the drug crisis. “Cigarettes are also available in the country, but there are non-smokers more than smokers. So we can’t say the availability is the reason why people use drugs, but it is one factor, the availability of drugs in the country. If it has not been available nobody will be using drugs, but it is easily available here,” he said. Last year in August, Home Minister Azleen Ahmed said, 57 kilograms of drugs has been seized in in 2016, while 26 kilograms of drugs has been seized till then in 2017. Beginning of the drug crisis Drug crisis of the Maldives started with the country’s increased exposure to the outside world. Drug-related issues have not been identified as a problem before the mid-1970s. It was said that the appearance of drug abuse in its present form seems to have coincided with the development of tourism industry in the early 1970s. However, there is no solid evidence to correlate this, since the period also witnessed many other changes, including global escalation of drug abuse and increased overseas travel by Maldivians. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), official recognition of the drug problem in the Maldives came in 1977 when a person was arrested with 350 grams of hashish. As a result, the first principal legislative act of the Maldives dealing with narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances (The Law on Drugs) was passed the same year in order to help the legal system to deal with it and to act as a deterrent. According to UNODC drugs like heroin and cocaine was introduced to the Maldives in the early 1990s. Strategic location and its vulnerability Despite being a small island nation, the Maldives enjoys a strategic location along with key shipping routes. It’s a blessing to be a country like the Maldives which is highly dependent on the imports from other countries but, unfortunately, the goods came with the bad. According to the police, the geographic location of the Maldives does have an impact when it comes to drug smuggling. “Since Maldives is geographically located in an important area in terms of trade routes, this has a huge impact on drug smuggling. Plays a huge role in the increase amount of drug smuggling into the Maldives. Most of the drugs are smuggled from the neighboring countries like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka via air and sea,” Suzee said. The Maldives is situated not too far from the Golden Triangle and Golden Crescent; Asia’s two main illicit opium-producing areas. While Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia comprises of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand, the Golden Crescent in South Asia comprises of Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan. Moreover, hundreds of tourists arrive at the Maldives on a daily basis from across the globe, including Asia, Europe and other western countries. The exposure and the location do not only make it easy to smuggle drugs into the Maldives, but also make the country at risk of being used as a transshipment destination in the illicit drug trade. Actions being taken for prevention “The Maldives emphasizes the need to join forces, especially among international partners, to effectively counter the world drug problem. In line with this objective, Maldives is working with countries in its region to establish a regional coordination centre for South Asia through the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation,” said the Maldivian government official at the Thirtieth special session of United Nations General Assembly in 2016. Maldives Police Service is also making efforts along with other authorities to combat the drug problem in the Maldives. “To prevent Maldives being used as a transshipment destination in illicit drug trade and to prevent smuggling narcotics into the Maldives, We are building our capacity of detection, we are strengthening security at the airports and seaports continuously and we are focusing on increasing human resource capacity by providing necessary trainings to the officers at the airports and seaports and our anti-drug policies are strengthened as well,” Suzee said. With tightened surveillance across the Maldives to eliminate smuggling and distribution of drugs, the Maldives police and border authorities have also started using K-9 dogs to detect drug smugglers. Yet more efforts are still needed to overcome the drug problem. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Maldives emerging as hub illicit drug trade

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Myanmar torches drugs stash worth over half a billion dollars

Myanmar set to be placed on global money laundering watchlist: Report

Lost in China: Thai with dementia returns home after 640-kms detour

Maldives emerging as hub illicit drug trade