SAC Vice Chairman Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win addresses Anti-Illegal Trade Steering Committee Meeting 4/2022
Nay Pyi Taw August 19
The Anti-Illegal Trade Steering Committee held meeting 4/2022 at Nyilakhan Hall of the Ministry of Commerce in Nay Pyi Taw at 2 pm today, with an address by Chairman of the Anti-illegal Trade Steering Committee Vice-Chairman of the State Administration Council Deputy Prime Minister Vice-Senior General Soe Win.
Also present at the meeting were Union ministers Lt-Gen Soe Htut, U Win Shein and Dr Pwint San, Deputy minister U Nyunt Aung, Nay Pyi Taw Council member Col Min Naung, the chairman of the Revenue Appellate Tribunal, permanent secretaries, directors-general and officials together with chairmen of anti-illegal task forces from regions and states through video conferencing.
First, the Vice-Senior General delivered a speech. He said: the Anti-Illegal Trade Steering Committee was reconstituted for nine months, and region and state special tasks successfully perform prevention of illegal trade goods in various ways.
As keen cooperation, good obedience and disciplinary acts which are of importance in securing success in anti-illegal trade, it is necessary to carry on such good practices and hand it over to staff and departmental organizations which will carry out the same tasks in the future.
Data and figures show the progress and effectiveness in combating illegal trade and progress of trade in official routes can be known in an indirect way.
Seizures in June this year hit K3.4 billion compared with K6.1 billion in July, nearly doubling the seizures. In reviewing the seizures in regions and states, the seizure in Bago Region was the largest amount in July while most of regions and states nabbed the volume of seizures larger than the previous months.
Seizures of illegal trade volume worth K31.28 billion in 2,182 cases within seven months from January to July exceeded K25.46 billion in 930 cases in the corresponding period of last year thanks to region and state anti-illegal trade task forces and personnel from relevant departments. Their efforts were recognized.
Those who participate in Anti-Illegal Trade Task Force need to strive for having more seizures while eliminating illegal trade which is a primary goal.
In this regard, it is necessary to take action against trader businesspersons who chose the wrong way or illegal way of trade process, and task forces need to control them to reach the right path as much as possible. It is necessary to raise the public awareness against illegal trade and pave the right ways for them under the law and work procedures.
Members of special task forces and OSS need to strive for effectively seize illegal trade goods and help traders work on the right path for doing correct trade processes.
In inspecting the goods, it is necessary to check the goods in random system and then perform detail check. Hence, staff members need to carry out detail check system over the goods at the main checkpoints without fail. Hence, the checkpoints must be facilitated with inspecting machinery. Likewise, they have to avoid delay of storing the seized items without custom duty as State treasury under the orders and directives without malpractices and restrict escaping of offenders. Hence, officials need to keep the State interests at the fore in serving the duties with goodwill in a quick manner.
With regard to the seized items, the Vice-Senior General stressed the need to avoid delay of work procedures from the seizures to auction under the departmental procedures, to the tasks in a quick process and rapidly allot the rewards for seizures.
Especially, duty assigned staff need to seek the narcotic drugs, arms and ammunition, explosives carried by vehicles without register at the checkpoints in various ways and means. In doing so, they have to take personal security awareness.
Although plans are being implemented for minimizing the illegal trade or businesspersons are paved the correct ways, if staff members on the ground tasks are under corruption and bribery measures, it is difficult to secure success of the goal. If staff members are not dutiful for the assigned duties due to briberies, the goods without tax and lack of quality guarantee will flow into the country in a short time.
Hence, relevant task forces and departments need to deeply warn staff not to participate in the illegal trade and to stay away from corruption, perform surprised checks and continuously take deterrent action against the offender personnel.
Security is of importance in combating the illegal trade for correct informartion, information security and security for informants. The collected information must be analyzed, and then personnel need to be grouped for security to carry out the tasks in unison so as to reach the goal. The relevant departments need to inspect and take security respectively. Security is crucial in the border areas. In addition to implementingthe plans how to restrict the illegal trade process, the Vice-Senior General urged relevant region and state special task forces to place an emphasis on security of assigned staff.
It is necessary to take action against illegal trade activities using various ways and means and it is necessary to consider paving the correct ways for the illegal traders.
Relevant officials need to help traders clearly know the kinds of taxes to be paid in the trading process, and they have to improve the tax law and work procedures and raise the awareness of businesspersons for customs procedures as regular task.
As actually levying the tax is playing a key role in development of the nation, loss in illegal trade must be presented to the people via media on a wider scale. Assigned staff and service organizations need to take the full amount of tax for the State as a national duty with duty conscience. All task forces need to cooperate with each other for taking security of assigned staff and the people in preventing the illegal trade through security outlook and security awareness.
Secretary of the steering committee Deputy Minister U Nyunt Aung reported on accomplishments for decisions of the meeting 3/2022 of the steering committee, undertakings of the steering committee, collection of information and seizures of illegal goods.
Leader of the office team of the steering committee Deputy Director General U Aung Thwin Oo, Bago Region Minister for Security and Border Affairs Col Hla Myo Shwe, Director General U Thein Swe of the Customs Department, Director General U Myint Thura of Trade Department and Director General Dr Khin Zaw of the Department of Food and Drug Administration reported on information letters to the coordination meeting 4/2022 of the steering committee.
Vice Chairman of the Steering Committee Union Ministers Lt-Gen Soe Htut and U Win Shein, Steering Committee members Union Minister Dr Pwint San and attendees discussed process of anti-illegal trade activities in respective sectors.
The information letters sent to the steering committee meeting 4/2022 were submitted. Vice-chairmen and members of the committee and attendees reported on measures of anti-illegal trade.
Later, the meeting decisions were put on records, and the Vice-Senior General coordinated the reports and gave remarks before concluding the meeting.—MNA