U.S. SAYS SOUTHEAST ASIA IS FACING AMPHETAMINE EPIDEMIC

A flood of amphetamine-type stimulants has fueled an epidemic in
Southeast Asia, according to a U.S. government report.

The 900-page report, released Wednesday, listed Myanmar as the world's
second largest illicit opium producer. It lags far behind
Afghanistan's production levels but accounted for more than 90 percent
of Southeast Asia's heroin.

But it was methamphetamine, ecstasy and other synthetic stimulants
that the report says have swept through Southeast Asia, where they
have displaced cocaine in many countries "as the stimulant of choice."

These drugs have had a spike in popularity because they are easy and
cheap to make and offer the prospect of huge profits. That makes them
appeal "as much to small drug entrepreneurs as to the large
international syndicates," according to the State Department's annual
report, which is mandated by the U.S. Congress.

In Cambodia, the report saw an increase in drug investigations,
arrests and seizures last year. Still, it said, amphetamine use rose
throughout society.

Cambodian drug officials were praised for cooperating closely with
U.S. officials. The State Department said, however, that Cambodia's
"capacity to implement an effective, systematic approach to
counternarcotics operations remains low."

Laos had "unprecedented success in its battle against opium," the
report said, thanks in part to State Department counternarcotics money.

Nevertheless, the report said amphetamine stimulants, known as ya ba,
or "crazy medicine," have become a new threat, "exploding among the
nation's youth, truck drivers and commercial sex workers."

Thailand has enjoyed some success, said Anne Patterson, assistant
secretary of state for international narcotics.

She told reporters that the country once considered a major source of
opium poppy for the global heroin market has practically eliminated
the crop and sharply curtailed cross-border trafficking.

In Northeast Asia, the report said China faced corruption in
drug-producing areas that has limited the accomplishments of
"dedicated enforcement officials."

The report said "substantial evidence exists" that North Korean
officials have laundered drug proceeds through a network of front companies.

Japan, while not a significant drug producer, is an attractive target
of traffickers, the report said, and one of the largest markets for
methamphetamine in Asia. The majority of Japan's methamphetamine is
believed to have been produced in China, North Korea, Taiwan,
Indonesia and the Philippines.