Poppy fields destroyed in Chin State by govt insufficient

20 January 2014: Communities in Chin State have said that the State government should do more to put an end to opium poppy cultivation in Chin State.

Grave concerns are expressed among Chin communities following a recent claim that 672.86 acres of poppy field had been destroyed by the government in collaboration with the army, police force and the Central Anti-narcotic Task Force.

According to a statement by the Information and Public Relations Department, the team had carried out a joint operation in Tonzang Township and Cikha Sub-township in December last year.

A community leader from Falam said that what the government had done was welcomed but they should do more to completely eradicate the plantation, adding: “I am afraid this will end just there again, another mere gesture.”

Early December 2013, the Chin State government decided to take the action, according to Dr. Ba Maung, State Minister of Social Affairs.

Reports estimate that the area of poppy cultivation in Chin State could be up to 5,000 acres.#