Shan Herald Agency for News

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• Govt alarmed by rising drug abuse in prisons
• AIDS-related Deaths Decrease Significantly in Myanmar: Report
• UWSA seizes Mong Pawk farmlands for development project
• Ks2.9b in heroin seized in Shan State

Govt alarmed by rising drug abuse in prisons Posted: 27 Jul 2017 02:39 AM PDT The government raised alarm over the high incidence of drug abuse among prisoners in the country underscoring the need to urgently address the problem, a senior human rights official said. About 74 percent of male and female inmates in the country are in prison for drug-related cases, Myanmar National Human Rights Commission Vice Chair U Sit Myaing told the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw on June 21. U Sit Myaing said there is a need to tighten surveillance system in order to curb the flow of drugs. "To avoid [body] searching which can affect dignity, the use of modern X-ray machines and sniffer dogs is also advised," he said. He also said there is need to improve the living conditions of prisoners, noting that many prisons have become overcrowded. An inspection of eight prisons in 2016, showed that while the aggregate capacity of the eight prisons were 6000, these were housing a total of 8466 prisoners. He proposed the expansion of existing prisons and the building of new ones in order to make lives of prisoners more bearable. "We have submitted to the Ministry of Health and Sports and requested more doctors and health workers in prisons to take care of prisoners' health," he said. He also suggested the deployment of ambulance in prisons, installation of water-purifying machines, vaccination for infants living together with mothers under imprisonment, and finding ways for children nourishment and children's rights fulfillment. But U Sit Myaing said the problem of drug abuse has gone beyond the walls of the prison and into the inner cities of the country. Cases of drug abuse are highest in Myitkyina and Myingyan and it is found to have spread even into Kathar, Shwebo and other inner cities, he said. "Drug abuse is a case to be handled as a national issue," he said. Link Story : goo.gl/SgfSgu

AIDS-related Deaths Decrease Significantly in Myanmar: Report Posted: 27 Jul 2017 02:29 AM PDT YANGON — AIDS-related deaths in Myanmar have dropped 52 percent in the past six years, the sharpest decline in Asia and the Pacific, according to a UNAIDS report on the global HIV epidemic released on Thursday. The report titled "Ending AIDS: Progress towards the 90-90-90 targets" was launched in Paris, France, and highlighted UN progress in the fight against HIV. The UN report said the number of people living with HIV who were accessing life-saving antiretroviral therapy in Myanmar had increased four-fold since 2010, to 57 percent of an estimated 230,000 people in 2016. Oussama Tawil, the new country director of UNAIDS Myanmar, said that "a massive scale-up in HIV treatment" and a "decentralization of services" to prevent HIV, even in remote areas through government-run clinics, contributed to a large decline in AIDS-related deaths in the country. The UN plan, which aims to ensure that 90 percent of key populations have access to HIV prevention services, has also seen progress as annual new HIV infections in Myanmar have fallen by 26 percent since 2010. Significant efforts have also been made to eliminate new infections among children, the report said, with 88 percent of women affected with HIV accessing services for the prevention of mother to child transmission. Tawil told The Irrawaddy, "This decline is a strong indicator of the commitment and leadership of the health ministry, development partners and donors. But also, community and nongovernmental organizations have worked together and that has made an important impact." According to the data from the government's five-year National Strategic Plan on HIV and AIDS for 2016-2020, HIV prevalence among key populations – people who inject drugs, men who have sex with men, and sex workers – is high, at 28.5 percent, 11.6 percent and 14.6 percent, respectively. A large burden of the epidemic is shared among big cities including Yangon and Waingmaw, Kachin State. The prevalence among people who inject drugs in Waingmaw is as high as 47 percent. Tawil said that the incidence of drug use is high in many countries in the region including Myanmar, India, Nepal, Indonesia and Pakistan, adding that it is often the result of economic problems as well as the availability of drugs at low prices. The UN report highlighted Myanmar's efforts to reduce the spread of HIV through drug use, including the government distribution of more than 300 sterile needles and syringes per person who injects drugs between 2014 and 2016. "While we are now seeing positive results in the reduction of deaths and new infections, Myanmar momentum must be sustained to achieve its goal of ending the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat, by 2030," Tawil said. He added that continued commitment and support from the government, donors, international and national nongovernmental organizations, community networks and HIV support groups is crucial in achieving the country's HIV response targets. Source : goo.gl/vd2N1K

UWSA seizes Mong Pawk farmlands for development project Posted: 27 Jul 2017 02:18 AM PDT The United Wa State Army (UWSA) has confiscated farmlands and homes belonging to villagers in the eastern Shan State township of Mong Pawk. According to local sources, UWSA battalion 468, which is based in Mong Pawk, began seizing lands since early July in order to make way for a new town development. "In an ethnic Lahu village named Jadawkhar, families from 32 households were evicted. Their lands were also seized, and they were forced to sign over their land [to the Wa army]," said local resident Aik Nub. He said that no compensation was offered to the evicted families and that many face grave hardships with neither homes nor livelihoods. Ar Pong, a UWSA battalion commander in Mong Pauk, told Shan Herald that the land confiscations were a necessary measure in order to build a new town in the eastern part of the township. He said about 3,000 acres of land would have to be cleared. The UWSA is recognized as having control over the Wa self-administered region, which comprises the townships of Hopang, Mongma, Pangwai, Narpan, Mangman and its headquarters Panghsang. It is widely regarded as the strongest ethnic army in Burma, with a troop strength estimated at up to 30,000. The group did not sign the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement with the then Thein Sein government in October 2015. However, it has signed bilateral accords with the government. By Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN)

Ks2.9b in heroin seized in Shan State Posted: 26 Jul 2017 09:54 PM PDT The suspect and the evidence. Shan State police say they have seized, along with a suspect, a heroin shipment worth Ks2.9 billion. The police, army, and government officials were apparently patrolling on July 24 while they spotted a Toyota Mark X. Upon stopping the car, the male driver jumped off and ran. Although the authorities chased the suspect, he jumped into the Thanlwin River and disappeared, according to police records. Another suspect, a 22-year-old woman, remained in the car while the police found nearly 300 blocks of heroin and some money inside the car. After searching the suspects' homes the authorities discovered firearms along with some money in kyat and baht. The suspects have been charged with drug and illegal weapons acts. (US$1 = Ks1,360) Translated by Nay Thiha Link Story : goo.gl/1XbPQz

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