Headed by Mr Yang Fengrui, Director-General of the Narcotics Control Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security, other PRC delegates included Mrs Rosanna Ure, Commissioner for Narcotics of the Security Bureau, HKSAR; Mr Mario Antonio Lameiras, Assistant of the Commissioner General of the Unitary Police Service of Macao, and Mr Chau Wai-kuong, Head of Criminal Investigation Department of the Judiciary Police.

Around 150 law enforcement delegates from 11 countries attended the conference, in which Mr Zhou Yongkang, the Minister of Public Security, addressed the ministerial-level meeting on October 20.

The main theme of the event was to reconfirm the significance of ACCORD mechanism as a unique regional drug control framework, encompassing both ASEAN and China. It also calls for continued co-ordination in meeting its comprehensive drug control goals and targets through timely communication, dialogue and enhanced bilateral and multilateral co-operation, including high-level visits and co-operation with other multilateral drug control agencies.

As the joint secretariat of ACCORD, the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crimes and ASEAN also sent their delegates to the event.

The conference also revised the "ACCORD Plan of Action" and its four pillars, namely promoting civic awareness and social response by highlighting the dangers of drugs; building consensus and sharing best practices on demand reduction; strengthening the rule of law by improving law enforcement co-operation and legislative review; and eliminating the production of illicit narcotic crops by boosting sustainable alternative development programmes.

Prioritised efforts will be made to combat Amphetamine type stimulants (ATS)-related crimes as a key national drug control strategy by acquiring adequate information, including trends of illicit manufacture, and traffic and abuse of drugs in each country. Efforts will also be made in actively collecting and exchanging relevant intelligence and information, and taking co-ordinated law enforcement measures to address the rampant illicit ATS manufacture, traffic and abuse in this region.

The conference also emphasised the importance of strengthening alternative development through the provision of adequate financial and technical support in traditional illicit opium poppy cultivation areas, the implementation of favourable market access policies for alternative products, and the expansion and initiation of alternative development programmes, including pilot projects in different opium poppy cultivating areas.

Chief Superintendent (Crime Wing Headquarters) Wong Pak-nin (second left) and Narcotics Bureau Chief Inspector Ko Shun-chi (left) with the Commissioner for Narcotics, Mrs Rosanna Ure, and delegates from Macao