Seized drugs burned in Guangdong

GUANGZHOU - Nearly 1,000 people from South China's Guangdong province, Hong Kong and Macao attended a drug-burning ceremony Monday to commemorate the historical destruction of opium 180 years ago, the provincial public security department said.

The ceremony was held on Monday afternoon at the square of the Opium War Museum in Humen town, the site that Lin Zexu, an official of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), burned smuggled opium confiscated from foreign dealers in 1839.

A mass of drugs seized in recent years have been ignited and destroyed in four stoves. Young representatives from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao took anti-drug oaths under the leadership of Lin Honghan, a descendant of Lin Zexu.

More than 120 districts across the province also held commemorative activities on the same day.

"We hope to pass on the spirit of the Humen event through this kind of commemorative activities, and further strengthen the awareness of drug control, declare our determination in drug control, deter drug-related crimes, and strive to achieve new victories in building a drug-free province," said Li Chunsheng, vice governor of Guangdong.

The destruction of opium launched by Lin Zexu at Humen started on June 3, 1839. About 1,400 tonnes of illegal opium confiscated from foreign traders were destroyed within 23 days. The incident triggered the Opium War, also known as the Sino-British War.