CHINESE AUTHORITIES PROMOTE EXPANSION OF U.S.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIJING 024448 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT PASS INL THOM BROWNE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV SNAR SOCI KHIV CH SUBJECT: CHINESE AUTHORITIES PROMOTE EXPANSION OF U.S. THERAPEUTIC COMMUNITY MODEL FOR DRUG REHABILITATION REF: CHENGDU 1083 Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Chinese National Narcotics Control Commission officials expressed eagerness to proceed with expansion of a United States NGO's model for therapeutic community-based drug rehabilitation in China during a December 4 meeting with visiting INL Deputy Director Thomas Browne in Beijing. They requested INL assistance to train qualified personnel, including police academy professors and detox center and NGO staff and proposed to draft a training work plan or MOU for signature in early 2007. End summary. Change Ordered From the Top -------------- ¶2. (SBU) In a December 4 meeting with visiting INL Deputy Director for Anticrime Programs Thomas Browne, Deputy Secretary General of China's National Narcotics Control Commission (NNCC) Li Yuanzheng said he had been charged by Public Security Minister Zhou Yongkang to institute therapeutic community model treatment for drug rehabilitation patients, based on a model established by a United States NGO, in all of China's 700 drug rehab centers. (Note: Li said these centers can accommodate a total of 300,000 patients. End note.) The NGO, Daytop International, has been working in China's Yunnan Province since 1992 and opened a voluntary drug treatment facility in Kunming City in 1998, with some INL support (reftel). China has since successfully expanded the model to a few of its Ministry of Public Security (MPS)-run mandatory detox centers. In a nationwide meeting in June, Minister Zhou told counternarcotics officials that they should make the establishment of therapeutic rehabilitation centers an important goal of anti-drug efforts over the next two years, Li related. ¶3. (SBU) Li told Browne and accompanying delegation members from Daytop International, Daytop China and the Embassy that he had just returned from Yunnan Province where he had met with Public Security chiefs from around the country to press the Minister's message with local counternarcotics officials. Li complained that, although Public Security officials understood that they would have to establish such centers, none had the knowledge or tools to do so. Li, who has visited Daytop Yunnan and is familiar with the program, acknowledged frankly that convincing Public Security officials to undertake therapeutic rehabilitation work may be difficult. He noted, however, that the order to change comes straight from the top, providing considerable motivation. China Eager to Expand Daytop Model -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Li said he is anxious to begin working on the details of an expansion of the Daytop model in China and suggested that NNCC would draft a work plan that could subsequently be signed by NNCC and INL. Browne said the work plan should address the issues of who should be trained and how and where the training would be conducted. Consultations with agencies in China would be necessary to determine how to adapt the model to China's particular conditions, Browne noted. Follow-up training and support should be built into the program, noted Daytop International's Executive Director Aloyisius Joseph. ¶5. (SBU) Li agreed and suggested that the targets for training should include professors from police academies, detox center staff and staff from NGOs who are running voluntary detox centers. Li further advocated more broad-based training and awareness raising for local police forces who are on the front lines of dealing with drug addicts. "This kind of BEIJING 00024448 002 OF 002 approach fits with the current emphasis in training police forces," Li said, "and we want to educate as many officers as possible, at least on the basic principles." MPS Foreign Affairs DDG An Guojun suggested distributing a VCD to local police forces to introduce broad-based training. ¶6. (SBU) Regarding the location of the training, Li and Browne agreed that training should be based in centers that are currently using the Daytop model in China. Currently, centers are located in Yunnan, Hunan and Hubei Provinces and in Beijing. Duration of training courses could vary, but some "core implementers" would need longer and more intensive courses, Browne and Li agreed. In concluding the meeting, Li stated that he would work to put together a draft training plan to be discussed further and possibly signed in the spring on the margins of the Joint Liaison Group meeting in Beijing. Comment: Promoting NGO Collaboration -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Daytop's work in China since 1992 has established a firm foundation for cooperation with the Chinese Government on therapeutic community rehabilitation programs, which the Chinese have found to be more effective than their traditional compulsory detox programs. Expanding the therapeutic comunity model will not only increase availabilit of more effective treatment in China, but wil build on an established and successful NGO collaboration and promote NGOs as capable ad necessary partners of the Government. ¶8. (U) Deputy Director Browne cleared this message. Randt