US SAYS MYANMAR RIGHTS RECORD BLOCKS ANTI-DRUG AID

BANGKOK, June 23 (Reuters) - The United States said on Friday that Myanmar's
poor record on democracy and human rights meant Washington would not provide
money to help combat illegal drug production in the impoverished country.

White House anti-drugs czar Barry McCaffrey told a news conference in
Bangkok there was ``widespread drug production'' in Myanmar, which posed a
threat to the rest of the region.

``Burma (Myanmar) is a massive source of drug production, which is impacting
its neighbours,'' he said.

``(But) there are contraints that restrict the U.S. from offering funds to
fight against drugs in Myanmar... There are issues such as democracy and
human rights that constrain us from working with the Burmese regime.''

McCaffrey, director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy, said
a region-wide partnership was needed to fight the ``international cancer''
of narcotics and no nation was immune from the threat.

The retired U.S. Army general was on an Asian tour to drum up support for
the United States campaign against narcotics.

The U.S. says more than 20 countries in Asia are major drug producing or
drug transit nations, including Afghanistan, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong,
India, Laos, Myanmar, Pakistan, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Some U.S. officials and international drugs agencies accuse Myanmar's
military government of supporting or at least turning a blind eye to
narcotics production -- a charge rejected by Yangon, which says it is
actively fighting the drugs trade within its borders.

PUBLIC BURNING

On Friday, the Myanmar authorities held a public ceremony in Yangon to burn
321.7 kg (708 lb) of heroin, 1.87 tonnes of opium, and 30 million stimulant
pills. Police put the New York street value of the drugs destroyed at $1.34
billion.

``Whatever kinds of accusations may come from whichever quarters, we will
continue with our chosen path to eliminate the scourge of illicit drugs,''
Police Major General Soe Win, Secretary of the Central Committee for Drugs
Abuse Control, said at the ceremony.

Soe Win estimated that at the end of 1999 Myanmar had more than 80,000 drug
addicts, but said the country should not be blamed by the international
community for being a major base for narcotics production.

He said chemicals used to produce amphetamine pills were smuggled into the
country from its neighbours.

``Although Myanmar is criticised for illicit production of drugs, the media
and the criticising countries should also bear in mind that drugs cannot be
refined without chemicals,'' he said.

Since 1993, the Myanmar authorities have sentenced 14 people to death and
handed out terms of life imprisonment to 35 others for drug offences. Most
death sentences were later commuted to long prison terms, Soe Win said.

Myanmar is the world's second-largest producer of opium and its derivative
heroin, as well as being a major source of amphetamines.