Statement of the Transnational Radical Party to the 45th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs

Vienna 11-15 March 2002 under item: 3 (b)

Sustainability of Alternative development programmes, for the elimination or significant reduction of illicit drug crops: links with international cooperation and the political framework, including long-term commitment, to support (1) poverty eradication, (ii) access to markets, (iii) initiatives for the reduction of illicit drug demand, (iv) law enforcement initiatives as a complement to alternative development and (v) protection of the environment; comparative approaches and experiences in various regions;

delivered by Marina Sikora

Thank you Mme. Chair,
Allow me at the outset, on behalf of the Transnational Radical Party to thank the Executive Director for his invitation to observe the works of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, and let me extend my gratitude also to all the Member States of the CND for allowing us to take the floor at this time. We believe that it is of utmost importance that independent views can be freely expressed before UN bodies and that freedom of expression remain the "rule" in intergovernmental fora that deal with extremely important issues related to individuals' freedom and health such as narcotics.
At this time the Transnational Radical Party would like to draw the Commission's attention on the collaboration carried out by UNDCP with non-democratic countries in South East Asia and presented in the Report of the Executive Director , E/cn.7/2002/6, entitled "Follow up to the Action Plan on International Co-operation on the Eradication of Illicit Drug Crops and on Alternative Development.

The Transnational Radical Party has been following closely the civil and political rights situation in countries such as Viet Nam and Laos and is surprised to learn that the mere fact that freedoms and human rights are systematically violated in those countries has not been taken into consideration by the UNDCP in developing its programmes of alternative development in that region.

We would like to bring to your attention the recent experiences of the members of the TRP.
In June 2001, Hon. Olivier Dupuis, MEP, TRP Secretary General was arrested for simply trying to accompany the deputy chief of the Buddhist unified church of Vietnam in a national march.
In October 2001, Mr. Dupuis, together with other four members of the TRP, Ms. Silvja Manzi, Mr. Nikolaij Khramov, Mr. Massimo Lensi and Mr. Bruno Mellano were arrested in Vientiane for protesting the October 1999 arrest and disappearance of student leaders demonstrating for democracy and human rights. The radical representatives were held for 2 weeks before being tried and sentenced to 5 years each for "creating social turmoil." The sentences were commuted, and they were expelled from the country.
Myanmar is a country ruled by a military Junta that keeps Nobel Peace Prize Daw Aung San Suu Kyi under confinement for simply having opposed in a nonviolent way a coup d´Etat.


The TRP does not support the implementation of alternative development programmes, not only because it believes that drugs are dangerous because are illegal, but also because it is of the opinion that subsidised economies in countries where the rule of law is non existing can, in the long run, create even more problems than the ones they are supposed to solve.

Nevertheless, if international co-operation should be fostered in South East Asia, this should happen in a context in which fundamental human rights are granted, otherwise any long-term commitment to support poverty eradication, initiatives for the reduction of illicit drug demand are destined to failure. The TRP is also concerned that law enforcement initiatives intended as a complement to alternative development might embitter the overall "security" situation in countries where individual rights depend on State's magnanimity. In this regard the TRP would welcome additional information regarding opium-producing ethnic minorities as stated in the Report of the Executive Director, as we believe that those indigenous people are misrepresented in the document.
Mme. Chair, the Transnational Radical Party is of the opinion that there can be no development, let alone alternative development, without freedom and democracy. Any type of project or programme that will imply the active participation of citizens as stated in document E/cn.7/2002/6 cannot occur in a totalitarian regime.

To conclude, Mme. Chair, We wonder how is it possible that states of police such as Myanmar, Viet Nam and Laos exercise any control on the production of illicit substances and call on all major donors to those countries to monitor the implementation of their bilateral as well as multilateral agreements to ensure that the so-called "Human Rights Clause" is fully implemented and those countries abide to the international documents to which they are party.

Thank you Mme. Chair