By Larry Jagen BBC Burma analyst

Poppy cultivation has dropped in some areas

South-East Asia remains one of the world's key transit areas for illicit drugs.

More than 70% of the seizures of methamphetamines worldwide take place here, according to the latest global report on the illegal drugs trade.

The latest International Narcotics Control Board report also says Burma is still the world's second largest producer of opium, after Afghanistan.

But the INCB also points the finger at Cambodia, saying it is the region's largest producer of cannabis and a major supplier of the world market, as well as being a significant transit point for heroin, most of which is produced in the notorious Golden Triangle which lies across Burma, China and Laos.

The INCB's annual Global Report on Drugs warns narcotic producing countries that they must find an alternative or face economic ruin, political instability and social disintegration.

Burma of 15 years ago is cited as a case study, when opium production increased 10-fold and the country's economy tumbled to be the poorest in South East Asia.

The good news, according to the report, is that Burma's opium production has fallen significantly in recent years to less than half what it was seven years ago.

United Nations officials believe this is the result of the military government's commitment to stamp out drug production within the next few years.

Mixed results

Last year alone, poppy cultivation fell by nearly a third in the areas that are under the control of one ethnic rebel group, the Wa, UN anti-narcotics officials in Rangoon told the BBC.

Burma lies at the heart of the Golden Triangle

But production in other parts of Burma's Golden Triangle remained high. These are areas which are controlled by another ethnic rebel group, the Kokang.

The Burmese Government has now put increased pressure on the Kokang to reduce their opium cultivation this growing year, and early indications are that substantially less poppy has been planted, according to UN officials.

But that is little comfort for Burma's neighbours, as the production of methamphetamines does not seem to have been affected by the military government's campaign to stamp out opium production.

More tablets than ever are flooding across into Thailand and China. Experts believe this traffic is likely to grow even larger in the coming year, despite increased regional co-operation to stem the flow of drugs out of the Golden Triangle.