"It is very encouraging " that China has offered a variety of help for the international narcotic control movement, said the minister in charge of drug control for Laos here Monday.

Soubanh Srithirath, Minister to the President's Office of Laos, made the remark in an interview prior to the China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand Ministers' Meeting on Drug Control Meeting scheduled for August 28.

"I am very pleased that China helped us train police officers in order to curb and other illicit activities (referring to drug- related crimes)," said Srithirath.

Since October 1992, China has signed a series of memorandums and action plans with neighboring countries near the so-called " Golden Triangle" area, namely Laos, Myanmar and Thailand. In May of 1995, a five-nation ministerial meeting on drug control held in Beijing passed the Beijing Declaration, which has greatly moved forward the anti-narcotic cooperation between China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia.

He pointed out that China has provided the other countries with equipment in order to control drug trafficking and other illicit activities around the border areas and the countries have pledged to hold open meetings in order to exchange information about activities involving narcotics, amphetamines and other chemicals.

"By so doing, I think in the future we will sharply decrease the circulation of narcotics in our four countries," Srithirath said.

Tin Hlaing, Minister of Home Affairs and Chairman of the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control of Myanmar, also hailed the active role China has played in the regional cooperation on narcotics control.

"China is a very powerful country. ASEAN and China have an agreement (on narcotic control) and without China, we couldn't solve the problem," Hlaing claimed.

He pointed out the recent extradition of a narcotic-smuggling gang head has set a good example for cooperation between Myanmar and China and it demonstrates the cooperation and understanding between the two countries, he emphasized.

Thamarak Isarangura, Minister to the Prime Minister's Office of Thailand, expressed his optimism over the anti-narcotic cooperation mechanism between China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.

"With China's cooperation with its neighboring countries to crack narcotic-related crimes, we believe we have the ability to turn the region into a 'non-narcotics area'," he said.

He noted that China is very active in participating in the cooperation, citing an example that China has sent an official in charge of drug control to Thailand.

All three of the ministers share optimism over the prospects of the multilateral cooperation mechanism between the four countries and hold high expectations of the China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand Ministers' Meeting on Drug Control.

"It will enhance the existing mechanism of cooperation," Srithirath said.

(Xinhua News Agecy 08/27/2001)