Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)
June 21,2003

India: Mizoram, one of the major states of the northeast India, is
facing severe threat from drugs. The state, bordering Burma, has been
witnessing increasing incidents of drug abuses during the past several years
causing a matter of concern for the young generation. The problem is
aggravated day by day due to unabated flow of drugs and other
psychotropic substances.

“The drugs have already claimed more than 800 youths during the last 10
years”, the Mizoram Health and family welfare minister F Malsawma told
this correspondent in Guwahati. He further said that a section of
illegal migrants of “Myanmar” has started drug trafficking in the state
taking advantage of porous border leading to a serious problem in the
state.

It is worth mentioning that the state enforcing agencies have made
several seizures along the Indo-Burma border in the past several years.
Most of the consignments of the seized drugs were brought from Burma for
various destinations of India.

The health minister further advocated initiating a pragmatic step in
contain the menace.” initially They (Burmese) sell the drugs at a cheaper
rate in a bid to attract the youths and later they start business”, the
minister said.

Asked what steps were taken to combat growing drug trafficking along
the international border as the traffickers were adopting several
tactics, he stated that The state police and the other enforcing agencies had
been asked to gear up operations along the Indo-Burma border.” We have
a huge stretch of border with Burma which has been helping the
traffickers in running their business,” the health minister said adding that
The people living along the border use the immigrants in various works,
which is creating problem.

Malsawma appealed to the political parties of the state to fight
together in containing the problem.” the entire Indo-Burma border should be
sealed in order to contain the problem”, he added.Worried over the
problem, the government of India has decided to erect fencing along the
Indo-Burma border.