POLICE BOSS LAUNCHES CLAMPDOWN ON DRUGS by IVAN TANG

A war on drugs aimed at helping addicts and catching
criminals has been declared by China's police chief.

Tao Siju , the Minister for Public Security, told a
national antidrugs conference there had been great success
in fighting narcotics throughout the decade, but the
situation remained alarming. Mr Tao, head of the National
AntiNarcotic Leading Group, said there would be a
sixpoint antidrug programme in the next three years.

Local authorities would place all addicts on forced
treatment programmes and root out drug criminals. All
illegal poppy plantations would be destroyed.

Customs and police officers would build up methods to
deter the illegal flow of anaesthetics, psychiatric
medicines and raw materials for drugs, said Mr Tao.

They would also tighten control over ephedra, the main
ingredient of "ice".

Beijing would also strengthen antidrug propaganda and
civil education.

Mr Tao said China had intensified its fight against
drugs after the first national antinarcotic conference in
1991. Since then, the number of cases had increased by an
annual average of 52 per cent.

Officers had found 325,000 drug addicts and caught
65,066 criminals linked with narcotics. They had
confiscated 21.47 tonnes of heroin, 12.6 tonnes of opium,
8.5 tonnes of marijuana and 4.4 tonnes of "ice". The
figures highlighted achievements in fighting drugs but also
indicated the seriousness of the problem, said Mr Tao.

One of the reasons was the booming international trade
in narcotics.

"The high profit and the huge market stimulate
narcotics production and trafficking," said Mr Tao.

Trafficking along the border between China and Burma
was still a serious problem and was becoming more organised
as criminals armed themselves.

Mr Tao warned drug addiction was becoming more
widespread in China. "There were 520,000 addicts recorded
nationwide in 1995," he said.