UN may finance anti-drug war
in SE Asia
By ERIC TOWNER
A hint of expanded United Nations aid to combat Asia's drug smuggling menace came last night from the head of a UN fact-finding mission in Hongkong for a four-day visit.
The suggestion came as the Chairman of the 10-member UN team, Mr James O'Con- nor answered questions about America's prospects of withdrawal
Southeast
from
Asia, crippling the 'anti-drugs programmes.
Many of the pilot schemes now operating in Laos and Thailand to win opium- producing tribesmen away from poppy-growing have been set up with American aid.
International narcotics experts have recently voiced the fear that the U.S. pullout will abort the scheme's design to re- educate the tribesmen into legal cash crop growing. Last night, Mr O'Connor whose ad hoc UN Committee is in Hongkong for meetings with police and the narcotics chief on improving anti-drug enforcement co-operation said:
"If the U.S. can't continue the support given drug programmes in the past, there is no reason why someone else should not provide the funds. I am thinking of both the UN and the national governments concerned." Mr O'Connor, who is Australia's Assistance Custom
and Excise Comptroller, emphasised both had a major stake in continuing the fight against narcotics "et
mainly Indo
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Pilot projects to stop poppy growing are currently operating in 30 Thai villages, Mr O'Connor said. "I hope very much this sort of exercise is effective this is showing a great deal of promise .”
The team is the most potent, high-powered specialist United Nations drugs group ever to visit the colony.
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During their stay Hongkong the component of the UN Narcotics Commission will have talks with the Secretary for Security, Mr Peter Lloyd, the Narcotics Commissioner, Mr Norman Rolph, and the Police Commissioner, Mr Charles Sutcliffe. The main aim of the visit is to study ways of improving interna- tional co-operation in the fight against drug trafficking - with the accent on enforcement.
Mr O'Connor, whose visit follows only a few months after
major conference in Hongkong of police chiefs and narcotics experts On strengthening the international
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offensive against drug runners, said:
"We want to improve the flow of information between Hongkong and other countries. A good relationship between officers here and elsewhere already exists, but we hope we can make that co-operation We even better and wider. shall also be seeking insight into how the situation in Hongkong fits into the traffic and abuse pattern in the region."
Mr O'Connor stressed that enforcement would not be the only way of combating the drug menace and emphasised the roles of education, addiction treatment and rehabilitation.
However, he stressed the sole belief of his committee was enforcement and a crackdown on source-supplies, and added:
"These efforts must be combined into a co-ordinated attack on the problem." The team has visited five countries so far in its eight-nation tour and, said Mr O'Connor, the operation has been a success.
"We have received promises in every place that our recommendations will be sympathically
considered.
we
Obviously no country can write a blank cheque on agreeing to every recommendation make, but we have received many assurances
of co- operation." Mr O'Connor talked of the dramatic effect on opium supplies from the triangle of recent major drug seizures and this year's arrest of drug baron, Lo Hsing-han "an absolutely key man" in the operation. The UN official said he had not encountered any evidence during the Thailand tour to support recent allegations that members ofiber
etoppled Banekokoreaima Vuoro in Lived in → narcotics network The UN Committee
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-Thanand, Indoiftaa, Japan and“ Britain. The UK has sent its Assistant Secretary of State,
Home Office, Cdr. C.J. Train. There are also two observers officials from International Narcotics Control Board and Interpol and two full-time
UN narcotics officials.
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