YANGON, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar ceremonially incinerated seized narcotic drugs in the cities of Yangon, Mandalay and Taunggyi on Saturday, marking the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.
In Yangon, 25 kinds of narcotic drugs and precursor chemicals worth over 320 billion kyats (about 190 million U.S. dollars), which were seized in the lower part of Myanmar, were destroyed on Saturday morning.
The destroyed drugs included heroin, opium, stimulant tablets, methamphetamine, cocaine and ecstasy among others in connection with 4,030 drug cases.
In Mandalay, 36 kinds of narcotic drugs and chemicals worth over 186 billion kyats (about 110 million U.S. dollars) were destroyed on the same day, a state-run media report said.
In Taunggyi, 35 kinds of narcotic drugs worth over 562.4 billion kyats (about 340 million U.S. dollars) were burnt on Saturday, a local police told Xinhua.
Home Affairs Minister Lieutenant General Soe Htut, in his capacity as Chairman of Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC), noted in his message that the Asian country has been faced with the challenge of illegal poppy cultivation, production and trafficking.
According to a report of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Myanmar's poppy cultivation has declined significantly, he said.
The minister added that the authorities have substantially supported the livelihood of farmers and the development in areas affected by the narcotic drugs problems.
Myanmar burnt 133 kinds of seized narcotic drugs and precursor chemicals worth over 839 million U.S. dollars in Yangon, Mandalay, Taunggyi, Lashio and Kutkai last year. Enditem
