The province borders the notorious "golden triangle," which is the nickname for a drugs production area between the Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.

A success in removing the scourge of narcotics from Yunnan is expected to play a leading role in eliminating them from the country as a whole.

Police in the province cracked more than 11,000 drugs smuggling cases last year and seized more than 10 tons of drugs, said Sun Dahong, secretary-general of Yunnan Provincial Drug Control Commission.

More than 13,700 people were arrested in the province last year on charges related to drugs, he said.

In addition to the seven non-drug counties that were established in 2000, another five counties achieved non-drug status last year, according to Sun.

He added the province attaches great importance to co-operation with bordering countries on drug control.

Last year, drug control officials of Thailand and Myanmar visited Yunnan and the province also sent delegations to Myanmar and Laos.

"Thanks to co-operation with the Myanmar police, some big cases were solved last year," Sun Dahong said.

One of those cases was solved last November, when Yunnan and Myanmar police discovered a heroin processing factory and three others processing medicaments needed for drug production in the Kokan region of Myanmar.

They seized 53 tons of medicaments needed for drug production as well as large quantities of drug processing equipment.

In another case, the Myanmar police, acting on information supplied by Yunnan police, successfully arrested drug smuggler Tan Xaolin on April 20 last year. His gang smuggled more than 7 tons of drugs in recent years.

Tan was then handed over to the Yunnan police and his gang members were apprehended.

Last year the province also tightened its control over medicaments that are needed for drug production, the drug control official said.

The production, selling, buying and use of 28 medicaments that can be used to produce drugs, such as ethanol and muriatic acid, are controlled and supervised by the provincial government.

Police solved 38 cases involving the illegal selling and buying of such medicaments last year and seized 104 tons of drugs.

Despite the achievements that have been made, Yunnan Province is still faced with serious problems in drugs control, Sun said.

Statistics show the area of opium crops in the "golden triangle" region that borders Yunnan exceeds 80,000 hectares and there are many factories processing drugs, ice drugs and drug-producing medicaments in the region.

A large number of drug addicts have fomented a market for drugs in the province.

At the end of last year, the number of people taking drugs in the province registered more than 54,000 and the number is still growing.

Police also notice that more and more drug addicts in the province are taking synthetical drugs, such as ice.

(China Daily February 25, 2002)