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UN Wants Australia to Take Lead Against Asian Drug Traffic 联合国促澳大利亚带头打击亚洲毒品走私
From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.
United Nations officials say they have recently seen an increase in the production of amphetamine-type stimulants2 (ATS) in Southeast Asia. ATS drugs – such as Ecstasy3 or methamphetamines – are on the rise in Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
Officials are concerned because the area has long been known as a center for heroin4 trafficking. But unlike heroin, which is grown from plants, ATS drugs can be very easy and inexpensive to make. They can also be highly addictive5.
How much drugs are we talking about?
In 2015, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported seizures6 of about 27,000 kilograms of methamphetamine chunks7 and 286 million methamphetamine pills in the area. Seizures of chemicals needed to produce such drugs are also increasing.
Methamphetamine has many street names, or nicknames. It is often known as “crystal meth” or simply “meth.” In some parts of Asia it is called “ice.”
Australia and New Zealand
Jeremy Douglas is a representative for the Asia area of the UNODC. He says Asian criminal organizations are starting to produce high purity crystal meth to sell in Australia and New Zealand. The organizations are targeting those countries because many people there have high incomes and use drugs.
Douglas says officials are "seizing large amounts of crystal meth” at Australia's borders, airports and ports.
In an interview with a VOA reporter in Bangkok, Douglas warned that the amount of ATS drugs across Asia is a “big, big concern.” He added that currently Asia is being flooded with the “highly addictive crystal meth.”
International task forces to combat drug trafficking
Since late 2015, Australia's Federal Police have signed agreements with China and Thailand to combat drug trafficking into Australia. These cooperative agreements are often called task forces.
Australia’s Federal Police chief commissioner8 Andrew Colvin said the task force agreements are very important. He adds that bringing security to these Asian areas is in the best interest of Australia’s domestic health.
Colvin said the new task force with Thailand will focus on “human trafficking, money laundering9, counter-narcotics10 in particular."
Thai narcotics officials and the UNODC say Australia's operational experience in fighting drug smuggling11 can benefit its neighbors in the Association of South East Asian Nations.
Officials point out that increased trade and looser border restrictions12 under the ASEAN Economic Community create opportunities for organized crime to move drugs and drug-making chemicals more easily across borders.
UNODC's Douglas agrees that Australian law enforcement could play a larger role in supporting the area's efforts to fight drug trafficking. He said U.N. support can help overcome any political difficulties that may happen.
He says that the agreement between Thailand and Australia is “great.” He says the UNODC encourages that kind of agreement. But for this to work, he adds, this effort “needs to involve many, many countries at one time.”
Words in This Story
amphetamine – n. a drug that causes the nervous system to become more active so that a person feels more energy and mental excitement
stimulant1 – n. something (such as a drug) that makes you more active or gives you more energy
street name – n. an informal term for something, especially an illegal drug
purity – n. the quality or state of being pure
flood - v. to fill abundantly or excessively <flood the market>
task force – n. a group of people who deal with a specific problem
counter-narcotics – prefix13 as a reaction against
smuggling – v. to move (someone or something) from one country into another illegally and secretly
1 stimulant | |
n.刺激物,兴奋剂 | |
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2 stimulants | |
n.兴奋剂( stimulant的名词复数 );含兴奋剂的饮料;刺激物;激励物 | |
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3 ecstasy | |
n.狂喜,心醉神怡,入迷 | |
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4 heroin | |
n.海洛因 | |
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5 addictive | |
adj.(吸毒等)使成瘾的,成为习惯的 | |
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6 seizures | |
n.起获( seizure的名词复数 );没收;充公;起获的赃物 | |
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7 chunks | |
厚厚的一块( chunk的名词复数 ); (某物)相当大的数量或部分 | |
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8 commissioner | |
n.(政府厅、局、处等部门)专员,长官,委员 | |
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9 laundering | |
n.洗涤(衣等),洗烫(衣等);洗(钱)v.洗(衣服等),洗烫(衣服等)( launder的现在分词 );洗(黑钱)(把非法收入改头换面,变为貌似合法的收入) | |
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10 narcotics | |
n.麻醉药( narcotic的名词复数 );毒品;毒 | |
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11 smuggling | |
n.走私 | |
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12 restrictions | |
约束( restriction的名词复数 ); 管制; 制约因素; 带限制性的条件(或规则) | |
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13 prefix | |
n.前缀;vt.加…作为前缀;置于前面 | |
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