Chapter 15
Hong Kong's Role on the International Front
International co-operation in the anti-narcotics field has been developing at an unprecedented pace over the past three years, particularly in Southeast Asia, Europe and North America where governments are now evincing keen interest in intra-regional and inter-regional co-operation. Their anxiety to co-operate is due, in large part, to the mushrooming of drug abuse in their own countries, and to a realization that drug trafficking, like germs, crosses geographical and ideological barriers and can never be tackled successfully without the closest international co-operation.
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For some years, Hong Kong has been contributing actively and increasingly to the world-wide fight against narcotics, despite its limited resources. The policy of the Government is to give unstinted support to international action, be it related to law enforcement, treatment, prevention or other aspects of anti- narcotics work.
Co-operation with the United Nations
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The main co-ordinating body of the United Nations in the anti-narcotics field is the U.N. Commission on Narcotic Drugs. It is an inter-governmental body with administrative and advisory functions under the 1961 Single Conven- tion, which aims at rationalizing and simplifying the administration of the inter- national narcotics control system. It amends regulatory schedules, notifies the International Narcotics Control Board of relevant matters, makes recommenda- tions for implementing the aims and provisions of the Convention, such as the exchange of information and scientific research, and informs non-parties of the action taken.
4 In February, the Commissioner for Narcotics, Mr. E. I. Lee, attended the Fourth Special Session of the Commission in Geneva, at which he reported on Hong Kong's efforts and progress in combatting drug trafficking and drug abuse, and stressed that as a result of the success of law enforcement, Hong Kong was no longer used by international traffickers as a major exporting centre of illicit drugs. The session was attended by delegates from all 30 states elected as members of the Commission, by observers from 26 other countries, and by representatives from 25 specialized international agencies and other inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations.
5 Hong Kong took part in the Third Annual Meeting of Far East Region Operational Heads of National Narcotics Law Enforcement Agencies held in Manila in November. The meeting, organized by the United Nations, was aimed at promoting liaison and information exchange among law enforcement agencies in this region. It was attended by 17 countries and territories, as compared with 12 at the previous meeting held in Djakarta. Representing Hong Kong was the Chief Superintendent of the Police Narcotics Bureau, Mr. Jack Johnston, and Mr. Peter Law, Counsellor, Hong Kong Affairs, in the British Embassy in Bangkok.
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The post of U.N. Regional Co-ordination Officer for Southeast Asia was created at the beginning of 1976. Mr. A. H. H. Perera was appointed to it, and is based in Bangkok. Mr. Perera visited Hong Kong twice during the year, once for the ong Kong/U.S. Customs Conference held in May (see paragraph 14), and ag in November when he accompanied Dr. J. G. de Beus, Executive Director of the UNFDAC (see paragraph 8).
7 During the year, the Hong Kong Government made a second annual con- tribution of $100,000 to the United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control (UNFDAC). This contribution, being the largest of all those received by the Fund from developing territories and larger even than some from developed countries, demonstrated further Hong Kong's support for, and belief in, concerted and co-operative international efforts to fight narcotics. (See illustration p. 66.) UNFDAC is at present financing dozens of anti-narcotics projects around the world, including a crop substitution pilot scheme in Northwest Thailand, which aims at persuading the hill-tribes there to grow other economically viable crops in place of the opium poppy. UNFDAC was established in 1971 and has received donations from 63 nations. Since its inception, the total sum contributed amounts to US$23.6 millions of which US$18 millions has come from the United States of America.
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In November, the Executive Director of UNFDAC, Dr. J. G. de Beus, made a fact-finding tour of the Far East and Southeast Asia, including a visit to Hong Kong; he was accompanied by the U.N. Regional Narcotics Co-ordination Officer for Southeast Asia. Dr. de Beus held in-depth discussions with top-level Government administrators and anti-narcotics officials, and was briefed on Hong Kong's drug problem and the determined efforts being made to reduce and eliminate it. He also visited law enforcement, treatment and rehabilitation establishments.
Co-operation with the International Criminal Police Organization
9 In October, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. B. F. Slevin and the Commis- sioner for Narcotics, Mr. E. I. Lee, attended the 45th General Assembly of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) held in Accra, capital of Ghana, West Africa. International trafficking of drugs was a major issue discussed at the assembly. Views on the global situation of drug trafficking and ways and means of dealing with it were expressed by many of the delegates, who came from over 80 countries.
10 Three months before the General Assembly, the Interpol, in conjunction with the United Nations, the Colombo Plan Bureau and the Royal Thai Govern- ment, convened a meeting for the first time between the heads of anti-narcotics law enforcement agencies from both Europe and Asia. This very significant meeting, held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, reflected an increasing willingness and desire, on the part of both European and Asian police and customs officers, to join hands in intercepting the flow of illicit narcotics from Southeast Asia to Europe. Besides having particularly useful and productive discussions, delegates attending the meeting also visited to opium growing areas of North-west Thailand by helicopter and were briefed on the law enforcement and crop substitution aspects of the Golden Triangle.
11 In May, the Royal Hong Kong Police Force seconded a superintendent to the Central Drugs and Illegal Immigration Unit of New Scotland Yard, London. His posting considerably reinforced and supplemented the work of another super-
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