Thailand determined to eradicate poppy cultivation in 2 years

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, November 17, 2003

Thailand determined to eradicate poppy cultivation in 2 years

Thailand is determined to eradicate poppy cultivation in the country in two years, an official from the Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) has said.

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Thailand is determined to eradicate poppy cultivation in the country in two years, an official from the Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) has said.

"We are confident we can eradicate opium planting in two years to mark the 36th anniversary of his majesty the King's initiative which began in 1969," Director of the northern ONCB Phittaya Jinawat was quoted by the Bangkok Post as saying on Monday.

Hilltribes who were previously engaged with poppy cultivation will be encouraged to take up crop farming instead, the report said.

Opium plantation has stopped in the remote and mountainous areas in Tak, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Song provinces.

Poppy cultivation around the country has dropped 0.64 square kilometers, according to Phittaya.

According to a latest United Nations' report, Thailand has virtually eradicate the cultivation of opium, while poppy plantingfell 24 percent in Myanmar and 15 percent in Laos.

The Thai government is pushing forward its war on drugs with an aim to keep Thailand free of drugs on Dec. 5.

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