The Myanmar authorities ceremonially burned seized narcotic drugs worth of a total of 76.79 million U.S. dollars in Yangon, Mandalay and Taunggyi on Wednesday.

The drug destruction ceremonies were held to mark the 26th International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

In Taunggyi alone, the drugs set on fire amounted to as much as 44 million dollars in street value, while in Yangon, it was 4.63 million dollars.

The drugs burned in Yangon mainly include heroin, marijuana and stimulant tablets as well as other chemicals.

Police Lieutenant-Colonel Tin Aung, who is the deputy director of the Law and Research Office of the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC) ,told Xinhua that opium production has increased in Myanmar year after year, prompting the government to take measures including educating poppy growers to stop production and undertake regional alternative development.

Meanwhile, in his message on the occasion, CCDAC Chairman Lieutenant-General Ko Ko, who is also the home minister, called on the country's people, youths, international organizations, government and non-governmental organizations to cooperate in drug eradication for healthy life and building a drug-free country.

He reiterated that the government has added five years to its 15-year drug elimination plan (1999-2014), extending the plan up to 2019.

The government has been implementing alternative development projects in the areas of poppy which were destroyed in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Drug and Crime ( UNODC) and the governments of Thailand and China.

He revealed that in 2012, the government punished 5,740 offenders in connection with 4,006 drug-related cases.

The theme of this year's International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is "Make Health Your New High in Life, Not Drugs".

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