Moving forward on drug programmes

[suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

March 7, 1999  

Editorial

Moving forward on drug programmes
Last week, US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright visited for three days.
She
emphasised the importance of the battle against narcotics. She also
reminded us
of some basic truths many of us may have forgotten.
Our 40-year-old poppy-substitution programme is the envy of much of the world.
Our farmers are no longer slaves to a criminal monopoly, but can grow
profitable crops and sell them on a free market. Our farm children,
particularly in the hills, can read and write-where they were illiterate a
generation ago.
Mrs Albright also reminded us of our more recent political successes. She
flattered us with the description of role model. Thailand has been a
democratic
island of peace among regional uproar since the recession struck. Other
countries have had coups, riots, press crackdowns and mass arrests of
dissidents. We have not. Our democratic traditions may be new and may still be
evolving, but they are in place and functioning. Do not, urged the American
visitor, stop the Thai democratic development.
Ironically, our next important foreign visitor is Than Shwe, the head of the
Burmese military junta. It is a major contrast with the visit of Mrs Albright.
Gen Than Shwe's country is a drug producer, pusher to the youths of Thailand.
It is the most undemocratic nation in Asean, and neither supports nor even
truly approves of our twin efforts to clean up our drug problem and develop
our
democracy.
As Prime Minister Chuan and others have pointed out, drug trafficking is the
single biggest threat to our national security. We are at peace with all of
our
immediate neighbours. But the drug peddlers destroy our young people, corrupt
our officials, attack our justice system and consume highly competent civil
servants who could improve our nation if they were not needed to chase
traffickers.
We hope Mr Chuan will be frank in his discussions with Gen Than Shwe. Thailand
is largely unimpressed with the Burmese commitment to cleaning up its severe
drugs trafficking problem. The cozy relationships between the world's biggest
drug dealers and Gen Than Shwe's regime grow more evident by the day.
As the Bangkok Post revealed last week, the latest Burmese government

cooperation with drug traffickers has suddenly placed the area's narcotics
kingpins on the Thai frontier opposite our northern region. The abrupt
appearance of the United Wa State Army on our frontier, in force, is
unsettling
to say the least. The fact they are building a huge settlement opposite Chiang
Mai province as a reward from Rangoon makes all Thais uneasy or worse.
The reward to the Wa continues the Burmese tradition of close and
dishonourable
cooperation with senior drug dealers. It was rich irony that Burma conducted
Interpol officials to the Kokang area of the Shan State to show them the
alleged Rangoon anti-opium efforts. Kokang is the fiefdom of the opium warlord
Lo Hsing-han. He is a major heroin dealer, a close associate of the Burmese
generals. Through his family, he is a major investor, using laundered drug
money.
The United Wa State Army is building-digging in-in Burma, opposite Mae Ai
district of Chiang Mai. It is their reward from the Rangoon junta for helping
to defeat Khun Sa. They are rich, apparently from the drugs trade. Thai
authorities have been caught unprepared by the speed of the Wa takeover and
construction. There are strong fears of narcotics.
There is much that we have to do in Thailand to improve. Our drug-prevention
programmes do not match our suppression programmes in scope or funding.
Community action will, in the end, determine the true success of our anti-drug
efforts. But success is also impossible without international cooperation. Mrs
Albright assured us of American support; it would be nice to get a similar
show
of support from Gen Than Shwe.
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© Copyright The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. 1999
Last Modified: Sun, Mar 7, 1999
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