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Nepal: International Customs Day Combatting Drug Trafficking
Shanker M. Singh Gorkhapatra
Saturday 26 Jan 2008 January 26 has been designated as International Customs Day. The day this year is being marked with the theme ?Combating illicit trafficking of drugs and psychotropic substances". While considerable progress has been made, a great deal remains to be done in the fight against drug trafficking. A quick look at the report published by the World Customs Organisation (WCO) ?Customs and Drugs 2006" states that seizure of all types of drugs has risen sharply in recent years. Drug supply The ?International Narcotics Control Strategy Report - 2006", released by the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, states that ?although Nepal is neither a significant producer of nor a major transit route for narcotic drugs, domestically-produced cannabis, hashish and heroin are trafficked to and through Nepal every year. An increase in the use of Nepalese traffickers, apprehended by the police, suggests that the country's citizens are becoming more involved in trafficking." Moreover, Nepal's Narcotics Drug Control Law Enforcement Unit (NDCLEU) reports that more Nepalese citizens are investing in and taking a larger role in running trafficking operations. Customs and border controls remain weak, but international cooperation has resulted in increased narcotics-related indictments in Nepal and abroad. This statement and the summary report should be taken with caution and care by the concerned authorities in Nepal. It clearly demonstrates Nepal's weak customs administration and management particularly in the border areas. In 1987, the UN convened an international conference against drug abuse and illicit trafficking to promote international cooperation to address the problem. The conference unanimously endorsed a 35-point comprehensive multidisciplinary outline for action to be taken on all aspects of drug abuse and trafficking. The outline contains chapters on preventing and reducing demand, controlling supply, suppressing illicit drug trafficking and treating and rehabilitating drug users. Political and financial instability, a feature prevalent in the developing countries, has been generally linked to smuggling and trafficking of illicit goods. Realising the negative impact of smuggling and illicit trafficking of goods on the economy, the government has taken stringent actions against those involved in such activities. The increase in public revenue in recent times clearly indicates that the controlling measures taken by the government have become quite positive and effective. The fast changing social and economic circumstances, easy access and global availability of illicit drugs, and the rising demand for them have contributed to the increasing trade, posing a serious threat to society and the community. Hence, only a concerted and determined effort and response from the international community can successfully cope with it. In the particular context of Nepal, it had included a drug policy in the Ninth Plan, which reflected the country's commitment to controlling drug abuse and illicit trafficking. The recent Customs Act of the government, which has been drafted and enacted in compliance with the WTO norms, is crucial in combatting drug trafficking. The Government of Nepal has also approved a National Drug Control Policy and a National Drug Reduction Strategy. Provisions have also been made for the national laws to conform to the 1961 and 1988 United Nations Convention along with the South Asian Association for regional Cooperation (SAARC) Convention of 1990 relating to drug abuse and drug trafficking. It is quite obvious that not all of Nepal's problems are of its own making. The ever-increasing international trade and the massive globalisation of manufacturing activities have increased the role of the cargo business thousand fold. It is more so in the context of the role to be played regarding safe cargo delivery without drug trafficking. So sensitisation and awareness building training programmes should be conducted at the operational level to the cargo entrepreneurs at frequent intervals. The scourge of drugs, like a deadly disease, respects no boundaries. It afflicts everyone - young or old, rich or poor, conservative or radical, Asian, African, Latin American as well as western. The United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control (UNFDC) was established in 1971 for the express purpose of assisting governments in combating the production, trafficking and the use of illicit drugs. The incentive behind the growth in the international traffic of narcotics is the rising demand in certain developed countries. In this regard, much attention should be developed and devoted in curbing the consumption of drugs in the North. The traffic has become highly organised. Similarly, the illicit traffic in narcotic drugs calls for cooperation among the developing countries, both in curbing the traffic and in reaching an agreement with the consuming countries of the North on finding a durable global solution. The illicit traffic in narcotics drugs is not a North-South issue; there is no conflict of interest to be resolved through bargaining. The eradication of the traffic calls for concerted international efforts because few countries are totally unaffected or can expect to remain unaffected. Any action on the part of the governments in the South to stamp out the production of narcotic drugs needs to be strengthened by appropriate measures in the North to be effective. As such, we must agree that the wave of globalisation has also generated a boom in supply and demand, both in terms of legal and illegal trade. In the recent past, we had producer countries, on the one hand, and the consumer countries at the other end. The world is now faced with producer countries, transit countries and the consumer countries, delivery countries and destination countries as well. As said by the Secretary General of the World Customs Organisation, Michel Danet: ?We must remain vigilant, pool our efforts, heighten co-operation and make the best possible use of all the tools and the instruments available by demonstrating a high-level of integrity along the entire length of supply chain, from decision-makers to line enforcement officers. ?The fight against drug trafficking, a priority of the WCO, relies on a global intelligence strategy in which the role of each player, and especially the role of the WCO, is defined, and in which a more effective use of the existing tools together with proposals for implementing new instruments and the methods are examined and endorsed." Education It is not enough that drug traffickers and abusers are caught and punished. We must also strive to educate the population to reduce the problem and to rehabilitate those who at present are part of the problem. Therefore, the immediate target beneficiaries should be the law enforcement authorities who will strengthen legislation to help them in their work, and who will also have a group of better trained officers at their disposal http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/content.php?nid=34997
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