Title 3--The President trafficking and is addressing domestically and in conjunction with the international community the problem of money laundering. Through AIT, Taiwan and U.S. law-enforcement agencies cooperated closely on investigations and joint operations concerning drug trafficking and related crimes. Taiwan authorities worked with the United States and other countries on anti-money laundering efforts. Taiwan is an active par- ticipant in the Asia-Pacific Group on Money Laundering and the Egmont Group. Thailand At the time that the List of Major Drug Producing and Transiting Coun- tries was prepared at the end of last year, information then available indi- cated that in excess of 1000 metric tons of opium was cultivated in Thai- land. However, success with eradication programs during the current crop year seems to have reduced cultivation to well under that figure. Thailand remains a major drug transit country as a significant amount of heroin tran- sits Thailand on its way to the United States. Indeed, Thai authorities re- cently made a number of large seizures of heroin headed for the United States. Thailand continued its long tradition of cooperation with the United States and the international community in anti-drug programs. The Royal Thai Government (RTG) added to its leadership role in transnational crime issues by co-managing the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) with the USG in Bangkok. Thailand is one of the top three countries in the world in cooperating with the United States on extradition requests. Addi- tional defendants arrested in 1994's operation "Tiger Trap" were extradited and extensive cooperative law enforcement programs continued to bear fruit. Thailand has one of the most effective crop substitution and opium eradication operations in the world. \177999 poppy cultivation was down 38 percent from \177998 and opium production was down 62 percent. Eradi- cation destroyed 50 percent of the crop leaving an estimated 6 metric tons remaining. Cultivated acreage has been slashed 9\177 percent since the onset of the eradication program in \177984. With DEA support, the Royal Thai Po- lice (RTP) established the second in a series of specially-trained drug law enforcement units to target major trafficking groups. Overall, RTG efforts to target trafficking organizations have proceeded well, with numerous cases involving organizations with trafficking links opened in 1999. More elements of the new Constitution came into force further strength- ening rule of law and the judicial system, and providing a firm basis for further modernization and institutionalization of Thai society. Thai civil society is developing rapidly and a press with few restraints and the pleth- ora of NGOs bring increasingly strong public attention to official corrup- tion. A significant number of low and middle-ranked officers in the mili- tary and police were disciplined for corruption, although arrests for corrup- tion continued to focus on lower-ranking officers and officials. The RTG is close to deciding whether to accede to the \177988 UN Drug Convention. Passage of money laundering legislation was the last main re- quirement. Passage is expected in the March 2000 parliamentary session. The USG considers Thailand an important ally in combating the produc- tion and flow of illicit drugs. Our two countries have been working to- 382
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