MĀJAS PLATES AND the 1st the
CONFIDENTIA
1934-3
exchange information about narcotics with the Burmese authorities if they felt that this would be useful. If it was thought that this would help, for example, I was pretty uro that I could arrange for en official from Hong Kong to come here for working level discussions. The ideo was a new one to U Pyi Sce, and he cbviously had had no time to think its implications through, but his first reaction was not discouraging. While too much should not be built upon this initial response, at least the seed has been sown.
2 I am convinced from what U Pyi Soe said and from other evidence that whatever their position in the past, the Burmese authorities are now making a real attempt within the limits of their resources to tackle the narcotics problem. This is not lost
the evidence is accumulating that it poses a more serious internal threat than they had once thought. Spectacular results cannot be expected, but at least it is encouraging that they are no longer taking the line that the narcotics traffic is nothing to do with them.
because
4
I suggest that if the Hong Kong authorities in the course of their anti-n rcotics work come across some reasonably specific piece of information relating to the Burma ond of the traffic which would be worth passing on to the Durose authorities, buoy should send it to mo for this purpose. This would be 28 good a way as any of trying to open a practical dialogue on the subject with them. From such a beginning scope might develop for visits by scmcone from Hong Kong or by the Bengkok-based Hong Kong n rectics officer (ragraph 2 of Arthur de la oro'e letter 19/2 of 1 y to Lurray Mclchose).
23
Edward
(villan)