SAC Vice-Chairman Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win addresses meeting of illegal trade eradication steering committee (1/2022)

The meeting of the Illegal Trade Eradication Steering Committee (1/2022) was held yesterday afternoon at the Ministry of Commerce in Nay Pyi Taw, and Vice-Chairman of the State Administration Council Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win addressed the meeting.
The meeting was also attended by Union Minister U Win Shein, Union Minister Dr Pwint San, the deputy ministers, members of the Nay Pyi Taw Council, permanent secretaries, directors-general, the managing director and officials, and chairman and chief ministers of the Nay Pyi Taw Council and regions/states and officials participated in the meeting through videoconferencing.
The meeting is regularly held twice a month to enhance cooperation among the Union Ministries and region/state governments. At the meeting, the Vice-Senior General said the steering committee must implement effective anti-illegal trade eradication measures so as not to lose taxes owned to the country, to enhance the competitiveness of local ethnic businesses and ensure the safety of consumers, as well as for national security and health. In addition to the storage at airports, ports and border trade points, main storage and distribution in the cities where the markets are located must be identified and inspected to take effective action against illegal trades under the law, the Vice-Senior General said.
He added the need for respective illegal trade eradication task forces and OSS departmental combined teams to strictly comply with the approved standard operating procedures. As a result of the work of the illegal trade eradication task forces, there were a total of 1,929 illegal trade cases worth K7,412.370 million from February to December 2021. The action was taken against 13 cases worth about K346.356 million on 30 December and 298 cases worth about K6,323.503 million in January 2022.
As the seized export items were the resources of the country such as timber, jade, minerals, and wild animals, it is important to curb illegal trades with a national awareness, he said. He stressed the need for the FDA to constantly monitor the sales of harmful foods, medicines and cosmetics on social media and online and sent any irregularities to the Myanmar Police Force (MPF) through a secure communication so that the MPF can take continuous action in line with the law.
He added the need to do regular inspections, in particular, the relevant departments must take strict measures to prevent and take action against unlicensed vehicles. He also said the importance of receiving information in the fight against illegal trades, cooperating among ministries and departments and regional/state governments, as well as the non-involvement of government employees through the illegal trade chain, is also a matter of special concern.
The meeting discussed the progress and the working conditions of the steering committee, the FDA’s monitoring situation of the sales of illegal food, medicines and cosmetics and the arrests, security issues, the plan to relocate the Mayanchaung permanent checkpoint to the designated area and illegal trade eradication works in regions and states. — MNA