Burma: drug production and trafficking
Individual Documents
Sub-title:
Trends and Patterns of Amphetamine-type Stimulants and New Psychoactive Substances
Description:
"This report analyses recent trends and developments of
the synthetic drugs market in East and South-East Asia
and Oceania, comprising both amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) and new psychoactive substances (NPS).
NPS are substances of abuse that are not controlled by
the International Drug Conventions but which may
pose a public health threat. In this context, the term
‘new’ does not necessarily refer to new inventions but
to substances that have recently become available.1
East
and South-East Asia and Oceania has the largest ATS
market in the world and in recent years the scope and
availability of NPS has rapidly expanded. Moreover,
this synthetic drugs market is becoming more complex
and interconnected with other regions. These developments warrant an in-depth study to understand the
current threat and impact of ATS and NPS in East and
South-East Asia and Oceania within a global context.
The analysis of the synthetic drug problem in the region is essential to complement the understanding of
the illicit market for synthetic drugs called for in the
2009 Political Declaration and Plan of Action on International Cooperation towards an Integrated and Balanced Strategy to Counter the World Drug Problem.
The availability of quality data and information-sharing
in the region has improved with the support of the Drug
Abuse Information Network for Asia and the Pacific
(DAINAP), which offers a regional control mechanism
for drug monitoring.2
However, the quality of data and
information on some aspects of the synthetic drugs market remains limited. Particularly, demand-related data
on the extent and pattern of use, and treatment remains
scarce. And yet, methamphetamine and other synthetic
drugs that pose a serious health threat to users seem to
become increasingly available and are a challenge for
health care providers and drug control authorities.
Challenges in reducing the supply and demand
for synthetic drugs
Methamphetamine continues to dominate the synthetic drugs market in East and South-East Asia and
is mainly available in two forms: methamphetamine
tablets and crystalline methamphetamine. Increasing
methamphetamine seizures and expert perception of
high levels of methamphetamine tablet and crystalline
methamphetamine use indicate the presence of a large
and possibly expanding market in East and South-East
Asia.3
For some years, the “ecstasy”4
market has been
concentrated in parts of Oceania. Recently, according
to expert perception, there is an emerging “ecstasy”
market in parts of East and South-East Asia with use
reported in Indonesia and countries in the Mekong
sub-region.5
Addressing the trafficking of synthetic drugs in East and
South-East Asia involves a number of difficulties. Over
the last several years, countries in East and South-East
Asia and Oceania have experienced rapid economic expansion. For instance, the share of the regions’ global
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) based on purchasingpower-parity (PPP), is estimated to have increased
from about 10 per cent in 2000 to over 30 per cent in
2014 at a value of more than US$ 28 trillion.6
Except
for a sharp drop in 2009, exports and imports to and
from countries in East and South-East Asia and Oceania have also significantly increased over the years. Between 2002 and 2013, imports and exports more than
tripled to more than US$ 6.5 trillion and 6.9 US$
trillion respectively..."
Source/publisher:
UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-06
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNODC Burma/Myanmar, Drugs: regional and global, Burma: opium and heroin, Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) - Myanmar, Burma: drug production and trafficking
Language:
English
Format :
pdf pdf
Size:
9.34 MB 2.78 MB
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Description:
"This report outlines the need to strengthen links between Southeast Asia’s economic integration
agenda and its security agenda. The region is committed to rapidly developing economic connections
but attention is lagging towards the security impacts that accompany these developments. Regional
integration expands licit economic opportunities, but illicit markets tend to develop at the same time.
Where cross-border infrastructure and trade facilitation initiatives are expanding, organised crime
groups have demonstrated the capacity to seize new opportunities to expand cross-border crime.
ASEAN member states have committed to expand the regional economic market through far-reaching
fast moving integration. Physical and non-physical barriers are being removed to ensure more
practical and efficient border crossings for people, goods and money. This process is accompanied by
a number of infrastructure initiatives that will enhance connectivity between trading partners and
increase access to previously remote areas. For trade and infrastructure planners, the dominant
concept of border management is shifting from ‘control’ to ‘facilitation’. However, the positive effects
of economic growth need to be safeguarded by making trade, migration, and sensitive areas more
secure.
The expected growth of cross-border trade and migration calls for novel measures to monitor and
secure the people and goods moving internationally. This requires robust and streamlined procedures;
law enforcement and security agencies will need to work closely with trade and infrastructure
planners and developers. Currently, the ASEAN institutional agenda for countering transnational crime
is not moving at the same speed as the trade and migration side of the integration agenda.1
This report provides a brief overview of economic integration and infrastructure plans and initiatives
intended to connect the ASEAN region internally and with other regions, particularly neighbouring
India and China. It begins by analysing relevant trade agreements and progress in expanding transport
networks around the region and connections to other regions. The analysis includes observations on
where the risks for negative social and environmental impacts are high. Following that, there are four
sections that provide a non-exhaustive overview of sub-regions with pronounced transnational crime
challenges. Recent increases in the trafficking of drugs and precursor chemicals, humans, and
counterfeit goods, as well as environmental crimes, warrant special attention in managing
international flows in these geographic areas. Projections of future threats underline the importance
of taking action now..."
Source/publisher:
UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-06
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNODC Burma/Myanmar, Drugs: regional and global, Burma: opium and heroin, Burma: opium and heroin, Burma: drug production and trafficking, Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) - Myanmar
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
1.94 MB
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Description:
"This report presents major threats posed by transnational organized crime in the Pacific region, mainly
focusing on the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). Based on consultations with the Pacific Island
Forum Secretariat (PIFS) and information obtained from desk reviews conducted by UNODC, this report
focuses on four major types of transnational organized crime affecting the Pacific region:
• Drug and precursor trafficking;
• Trafficking in persons & smuggling of migrants;
• Environmental crimes (fishery crime and other wildlife trafficking & illegal logging and timber
trafficking); and
• Small arms trafficking.
In addition to the major four types of transnational crime, the report also includes some information on the
trafficking of counterfeit goods, including fraudulent medicines, and cybercrime to shed light on emerging
threats in the region.
The four major illicit flows discussed in the report are different sorts of illicit activities, yet they all pose
immense challenges to the region. There are strong indications that the PICTs are increasingly targeted
by transnational organized crime groups due to their susceptibility to illicit flows driven by several factors.
These include (a) the geographical location of the PICTs situated between major sources and destinations of
illicit commodities; (b) extensive and porous jurisdictional boundaries; and (c) differences in governance and
heterogeneity in general law enforcement capacity across numerous PICTs and the region in general. These
complexities also underscore the inherent difficulties in detecting, monitoring, preventing and responding
to transnational organized crimes in the region. In this context, transnational criminal activities continue
to increase throughout the Pacific and have detrimental impacts on communities, sustainable economic
development and regional security.
At a regional level and across all transnational organized crime types discussed in this report, a fundamental
problem is the significant gaps in data and information related to transnational crime among the PICTs.
This is a major hindrance in developing effective and evidence-based responses to transnational organized
crime..."
Source/publisher:
UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-06
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNODC Burma/Myanmar, Drugs: regional and global, Burma: opium and heroin, Burma: drug production and trafficking, Trafficking: global, regional and national reports, People smuggling - international standards and mechanisms
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
4.1 MB
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Description:
"This working paper (the Paper) aims to contribute to
greater consistency in the approaches to alternative
development (AD) and related practices in Southeast
Asia, and particularly, among the countries of the
1993 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on
Drug Control in the Greater Mekong Subregion
(GMS). Although some reviews of alternative development in
the GMS have been written, most have been countryspecific with a focus on Thailand. Accordingly, there
have been very limited comparative studies of
alternative development processes across all the
countries in the GMS. Similarly, there is a shortage
of studies and analysis that delineate what practices,
methods and approaches have worked best in the
region.
At the MOU Senior Official Committee (SOC) and
Ministerial meetings held in Ha Noi, Viet Nam from
19 to 21 May 2015, the MOU countries identified
this as a critical gap. It was also highlighted that
there were differing approaches, with subsequently
varying practices, to alternative development
currently being implemented in the GMS and this
was hampering collective efforts.
The MOU countries agreed that in order to better
address persistent challenges related to illicit crop
cultivation, there was a need to achieve greater
consistency and regional synergy in alternative
development approaches in the Subregion. This could
be achieved through the sharing of best practices
and experiences, and identification of what works..."
Source/publisher:
UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-06
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNODC Burma/Myanmar, Drugs: regional and global, Burma: opium and heroin, Burma: drug production and trafficking, Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) - Myanmar
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
4.24 MB
more
Description:
"DRUG AND PRECURSOR TRAFFICKING | Threat assessments undertaken help improve understanding of the flow
of drugs and precursors and designing effective solutions. Enhanced understanding of the regional context and
strengthened capacities are required to address the challenge of synthetic drug production in Southeast Asia and the
Pacific region.
HUMAN TRAFFICKING | MIGRANT SMUGGLING | Regional and inter-agency cooperation and information sharing
are vital to address human trafficking and migrant smuggling across the region. Law enforcement agencies often lack
sufficient knowledge to correctly identify human trafficking and migrant smuggling cases, and legal frameworks to
prosecute cases are not always adequate.
FOREST AND WILDLIFE CRIME | The designation of wildlife and timber trafficking as serious transnational crimes
requiring regional action by the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime has moved wildlife and forest crime
up on the regional agenda. UNODC will continue supporting Member States to address environmental crimes.
BORDER MANAGEMENT AND CROSS BORDER COOPERATION | Aiming to bring together counterparts from different
countries, jurisdictions, and agencies with a focus on sharing information. Communication through the border liaison
office network is the key element in UNODC’s approach to strengthening border control in the region.
ANTI CORRUPTION | The first round of the implementation review mechanism of the United Nations Convention
against Corruption (UNCAC) was conducted throughout the region. Effective anti-corruption efforts require a wholeof-government and society approach, including different sectors and branches of the government, civil society groups
and the private sector.
TERRORISM PREVENTION | A growing number of attacks in the region placed terrorism high on the agenda throughout
2016. UNODC will continue supporting Member States to strengthen national capacities to counter terrorism and
address regional threats such as foreign terrorist fighters returning to the region.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE | Criminal justice provides the foundation to counter organized crime and protect vulnerable groups
through the rule of law. UNODC will continue to support Member States to address key criminal justice challenges, and
to drive criminal justice reform in the region.
DRUGS AND HEALTH, AND ALTERNATIVE DEVELOPMENT | UNODC continues to offer support to Member States in
Southeast Asia in transitioning from compulsory treatment centers for drug users, towards a voluntary community
based treatment approach. At the same time, UNODC will continue to advance its principles on alternative development
and assist with research on the opium economy..."
Source/publisher:
UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-05
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNODC Burma/Myanmar, Trafficking: global, regional and national reports, The human impact of drugs and drug policies in Burma, Drugs: regional and global, Burma: drug production and trafficking
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
2.91 MB
more
Summary:
"There is no sign of respite in the expansion of the methamphetamine market in East and South-East Asia.
Seizures of both forms of methamphetamine - tablets and crystalline - reached record highs in...
Sub-title:
A Report from the Global SMART Programme June 2017
Description:
"There is no sign of respite in the expansion of the methamphetamine market in East and South-East Asia.
Seizures of both forms of methamphetamine - tablets and crystalline - reached record highs in 2015, and
most countries in the region noted increasing use of methamphetamine.
• Both the number and the scale of illicit methamphetamine manufacture facilities continue to increase to meet
the rapidly rising demand for methamphetamine in the region. In 2015, approximately 630 illicit synthetic
drug manufacturing facilities were dismantled in the region. Of these, the majority were methamphetamine
manufacturing facilities.
• The retail prices of crystalline methamphetamine in countries in East and South-East Asia are high, and
might be a key driver for intensified intra-regional and inter-regional methamphetamine trafficking.
• Substantial quantities of precursor chemicals, which can be used for manufacture of methamphetamine,
have been seized in the region with recent trends indicating a diversification of precursors and methods used.
• Tablets sold as “ecstasy” in the region contain various substances other than MDMA, including new
psychoactive substances (NPS).
• The production of opiates in the region has been relatively stable between 2013 and 2015 but remains at a
comparatively high level. Heroin trafficking and use remains a key concern in the region.
• A wide range of new psychoactive substances have been identified in East and South-East Asia. These
include potent synthetic opioids, such as derivatives of fentanyl , which have been implicated in the ongoing
opioid overdose crisis in North America..."
Source/publisher:
UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-05
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNODC Burma/Myanmar, Drugs: regional and global, The human impact of drugs and drug policies in Burma, Burma: opium and heroin, Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) - Myanmar, Burma: HIV/AIDS-Heroin Nexus, Burma: drug production and trafficking
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
2.9 MB
more
Description:
"In 2017, the Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC) of the Myanmar Police Force
of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar collaborated for the 15th time with the United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to implement an opium survey. 2016 and 2017
surveys focused on different aspects of opium production: in 2016, the survey focused on the
socio‐economic conditions of farmers in opium growing areas (https://www.unodc.org/
documents/crop‐monitoring/sea/2016_Myanmar_Shan_Opium_Poppy_web.pdf)1
, and in
2017 on estimating the extent of poppy cultivation and opium production. The area and
production survey in 2017 has focused on major opium producing states, Shan and Kachin2
. In
addition, a selective sampling rate has been applied for the collection of the satellite imagery,
using an approach that guarantees comparability with 2015 results.
The 2017 opium survey estimates that 41,000 ha of opium poppy has been cultivated in Shan
and Kachin States. Compared to the 2015 estimate, this represents a 25% decrease.
Reductions have taken place in East and South Shan (‐37% and ‐29% respectively), whereas in
North Shan and Kachin States the cultivation remained practically stable (‐3% and ‐7%).
Continued turmoil in North Shan and Kachin appear to be linked to the steady cultivation
levels. The reported amount of eradication has also been very low in these two states (less
than 130 ha), whereas the large majority (85%) of the total eradication (3,533 ha) has been
reported from South Shan.
In terms of opium production, part of the area reduction has been offset by an increase in
yields per hectare in South Shan, which have risen by 43% to 14.2 kg/ha. Combined with the
reduced cultivation areas, this resulted in a 14% decrease of potential dry opium production
in Shan and Kachin states. In 2017, South Shan state remains the largest opium producer
supplying almost half (43%) of the total estimated potential production of 550 metric tons.
Cultivation, eradication and drug seizure figures showed similar trends in the past eight years,
showing increases from 2010 to 2012‐2014 and decreasing slightly since then. These trends,
in combination with declining opium prices and anecdotal evidence of reduced trafficking
suggest that the demand for opium and heroin has decreased. These trends will be further
researched in the upcoming remote sensing survey and a new village survey, which the
Government of the Union of Myanmar and UNODC are currently preparing for the 2018 opium
poppy season..."
Source/publisher:
UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-05
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNODC Burma/Myanmar, Burma: opium and heroin, Drugs: regional and global, Burma: drug production and trafficking
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
4.33 MB
Local URL:
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Description:
''Over the past decade, methamphetamine use has grown more popular in Myanmar, Thailand and Southern China. Based on in-depth interviews conducted with individuals who use methamphetamine, this briefing sheds light on the importance of promoting an environment that reinforces, rather than undermines, the ability of people who use methamphetamine to regulate their drug use, preserve their health and adopt safer practices. Over the past decade, methamphetamine use has grown more popular in Myanmar, Thailand and Southern China. The substance has become more easily available, while prices have either decreased or remained at low levels. A similar trend has been observed across the entire region, despite a sharp increase in drug seizures and related arrests. This situation highlights the ineffectiveness of current policies, mainly based on repression, to curb the availability and consumption of methamphetamine. Methamphetamine tablets are the most popular form of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) in the region, in particular in Myanmar. However, crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as “ice”, is strengthening its position on the market. While methamphetamine tablets are mostly smoked, crystal methamphetamine has a greater potential to be injected and is also a more potent substance. It therefore carries specific health risks that need to be addressed through the lens of public health, rather than criminal justice...''
"ာစုနှစ်နှောင်းပိုင်းကတည်းက စိတ်ကြွဆေးဝါးသုံးစွဲမူသည် မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ၌သာမက ထငို ်း နငှ တ့် ရတု ေ် တာငပ် ငို ်း ဒေသတွေထိပါ အထူးတလည် တွင်ကျယ်ပျံ့နှံ့လာနေသည်။ ဈေးအတော်ပေါသည့် အခြေအနေမှ ဈေးပြန် တက်လာခြင်းမရှိသေးဘဲ အကျဖက်ကိုပင် ဦးတည်လာနေသည့်အတကွ ် နေရာတကာ၌ လယွ ်လင့်တကူဖြင့် ဝယ်ယူရရှိနေကြသည်။ မူးယစ်ဆေးဝါး ဖမ်းဆီးရမိမှုနှင့် ဆက်စပ်အဖမ်းအဆးီ များ တစရ် နှိ ်ထိုးမြငတ့် ကလ် ာခဲ့ သောလ် ည်းဒေသကြီးတလွှား အလားတူအခင်းအကျင်းမျိုး အားကောင်းကောင်းဖြင့် အရှိန်ရလာခဲ့သည်။ အခြေအနေအရပ်ရပ်က မက်အမ်ဖီတမင်း လက်လှမ်းမီရရှိနိုင်မှုနှင့် သုံးစွဲမှုကိုလျှော့ချရန် ဖိနှိပ်ချုြပ်ခယမ် ကှု ို အသားပေးထားသည့် လက်ရှိမူဝါဒများ၏ ထိရောက်မှု အားနည်းပုံကို မီးမောင်းထိုးပြလျက်ရှိသည်။
တိုက်ဒေသကြီးတစ်ခုလုံး အထူးသဖြင့် မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ၌ မက်အမ်ဖီတမင်းသည် ရေပန်းစားလူကြိုက်အများဆုံး အမ်ဖီတမင်းအမျိုးအစား စိတ်ကြွဆေး (ATS) ဖြစ်လာသည်။ တစဖ် ကတ် ငွ လ် ည်း “ရေခဲ” ဟလု သူ မိ ျားသည့် မကအ် မဖ် တီ မင်းအကြညသ် ညလ် ည်း ဈေးကကွ တ် ငွ ်းသ့ိုအားကောင်းကောင်းဖြင့်ဝငေ် ရာကလ် ာလျကရ် သှိ ည်။ မက်အမ်ဖီတမင်းဆေးပြားများကို အငွေ့ပုံစံဖြင့်သာ ရှုရှိုက်ကြသော်လည်း ပိုမိုအာနိသင်ပြင်းသည့် မက်အမ် ဖီတမင်းအကြည်သည် အကြောထဲထိုးသွင်းအသုံးပြုနိုင်သည်အထိ ပျောဝ် ငန် ငို စ် မွ ်း ရေှိ နသည။် သြ့ိုဖစ၍် ရေခဲ သည်ပြစ်မှုဆိုင်ရာ တရားစီရင်ရေးရှုထောင့်မှမဟုတ်သည့် ပြည်သူ့ကျန်းမာရေးအမြင်ဖြင့် ကိုင်တွယ်ဖြေရှင်း ရမည့် ဆက်စပ်ကျန်းမာရေးအန္တရာယ်များကိုပါ ဆောင်ကျဉ်းလာခဲ့သည်။
သးုံ စမွဲ ပှု စုံ ခံ ျင်း သာ ကာွ ခြားမရှု ေှိ သာလ် ည်း အလာွှ ပေါင်း စ၌ုံ မကအ် မဖ် တီ မင်း သးုံ စမွဲ သှု ည် တွင်တွင်ကျယက် ျယ် ပျံ့နှံ့လျက်ရှိသည်။ မက်အမ်ဖီတမင်းသးုံ စွဲမှုသည် ခေတ်လူငယ်များအကြား၌သာမက ညဆိုင်းအလပု သ် မား များနှင့် ခက်ခဲပင်ပန်းသည့် ကာယလုပ်သားများအကြား၌လည်း ရေပန်းစားတွင်ကျယသ် ည့် လမူ ေှု ရးအလေ့ အထကြီးတစ်ရပ် ဖြစ်လာသည်။ စိတ်ကြွဆေးပြားသုံးစွဲမူကို ခြေခြေမြစ်မြစ်နားလည်သိမြင်လိုပါက အဆိုပါ ဆေးဝါးများက ဆောငက် ျဥ်း ပေးလာနငို သ် ည့် ကောင်း ကျိုးအလားအလာများကိုပါ သုံးသပ်အသိအမှတ်ပြုရန် လိုအပ်ပါလိမ့်မည်။ အခြားတစ်ဖကတ် ွင်လည်း ဆေးပြားသုံးစွဲသူများသည် ယင်းနှင့်ဆက်စပ်လျက်ရှိသည့် နောက်ဆက်တွဲဆိုးကျိုးများကို သိမြင်နားလည်ထားကြသူများဖြစ်သည်။ မက်အမ်ဖီတမင်းသုံးစွဲမှုနှင့် ဆက် စပ်ထွက်ပေါ်လာသည့် အန္တရာယ်များကို လျှော့ချရန်အတွက် သုံးစွဲသူများ၏ အတွေ့အကြုံများနှင့် နည်းနာ များကို များစွာလေ့လာသင်ယူရန် လိုအပ်နေဆဲဖြစ်သည်။
ATS နှင့်ပတ်သက်ပြီး ဘက်လိုက်မှုကင်း၍ ယုံကြည်အားထားရလောက်သည့် အထောက်အထားအခြေပြု သတင်းအချက်အလက်များကို လက်လှမ်းမီနိုင်မှု အလွန်နည်းပါးလျက်ရှိသည်။ ရလဒ်အနေဖြင့် သးုံ စသွဲ ူများ ကိုယ်တိုင် မိမိတို့၏ ကျန်းမာရေးကိုအရင်းပြု၍ လက်တွေ့စမ်းသပ် သုံးစွဲခြင်းဖြင့်သာလျှင် ဤဆေးဝါးများ၏ နောက်ဆက်တွဲဆိုးကျိုးများကို မြည်းစမ်းသင်ယူကြရတော့သည်။ အလွှာပေါင်းစုံမှ လူများစွာသည် မိမိတို့၏ ဘဝသက်တမ်းအတွင်း တစ်ကြိမ်မဟုတ်တစ်ကြိမ် မက်အမ်ဖီတမင်းသုံးစွဲရသည့် အတွေ့အကြုံကို မြည့်စမ်း တတ်ကြသဖြင့် နည်းပညာသစ်များ အသုံးပြုခြင်းအားဖြငေ့် သာလ် ည်း ကောင်း သတင်း အချကအ် လကမ် ျားကို အများပြည်သူ ကျယ်ကျယ်ပြန့်ပြန့် လက်လမှ ်း မလီ ာနငို ေ် အာင် ဆောင်ရွက်ပေးရန် မဖြစ်မနေလိုအပ်ပါသည်။ ..."
Renaud Cachia, Thura Myint Lwin
Source/publisher:
Transnational Institute (TNI)
Date of publication:
2019-05-09
Date of entry/update:
2019-05-21
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) - Myanmar, The human impact of drugs and drug policies in Burma, Drugs: regional and global, Burma: drug production and trafficking
Language:
English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
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1.86 MB 3.72 MB
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''Methamphetamines are flooding into countries across Asia.
But where do the drugs come from, and who is profiting from feeding the world’s addiction?
101 East travels to the notorious “Golden Triangle” to investigate what’s driving Asia’s meth boom and why authorities are powerless to stop it.
With rare access to the borderlands of Myanmar, the world’s largest meth producer, 101 East meets leaders of rebel armies who are often blamed for the country’s drug production and explores whether the nation’s military could be involved.
On the front line of the drug war, 101 East joins a patrol with the Thai military as they try to stop the massive flow of methamphetamines coming across the border from Myanmar.
In a recent bust, Thai authorities seized 300 kilograms of crystal meth. If it had reached Australia, the drugs, known as ‘ice’, would have been worth $180 million.
But despite record-breaking amounts of meth being seized across the region, authorities estimate they are only catching about 20 per cent of it.
The rest can end up anywhere from construction sites in Thailand, where laborers use the drug to help them work long hours, to wealthier countries like Australia, where young people take the drug to party...''
Pailin Wedel
Source/publisher:
Al Jazeera
Date of publication:
2019-04-11
Date of entry/update:
2019-04-13
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
English, Thailand
Local URL:
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Description:
''Over the past decade, methamphetamine use has grown more popular in Myanmar, Thailand and Southern China. Based on in-depth interviews conducted with individuals who use methamphetamine, this briefing sheds light on the importance of promoting an environment that reinforces, rather than undermines, the ability of people who use methamphetamine to regulate their drug use, preserve their health and adopt safer practices.
Over the past decade, methamphetamine use has grown more popular in Myanmar, Thailand and Southern China. The substance has become more easily available, while prices have either decreased or remained at low levels. A similar trend has been observed across the entire region, despite a sharp increase in drug seizures and related arrests. This situation highlights the ineffectiveness of current policies, mainly based on repression, to curb the availability and consumption of methamphetamine.
Methamphetamine tablets are the most popular form of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) in the region, in particular in Myanmar. However, crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as “ice”, is strengthening its position on the market. While methamphetamine tablets are mostly smoked, crystal methamphetamine has a greater potential to be injected and is also a more potent substance. It therefore carries specific health risks that need to be addressed through the lens of public health, rather than criminal justice...''
Source/publisher:
Transnational Institute (TNI)
Date of publication:
2019-02-18
Date of entry/update:
2019-02-20
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Drugs: regional and global, Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) - Myanmar, The human impact of drugs and drug policies in Burma, Burma: drug production and trafficking
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
Based on Ronald Renard?s "The Burma Connection" UNRISD 1996
Ronald Renard
Source/publisher:
The Global Hangover Guide
Date of publication:
1995-11-30
Date of entry/update:
2010-08-11
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Drugs and Burma: general links, reports and articles, Burma: drug production and trafficking, Burma: opium and heroin
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
Executive Summary:
This report presents findings from a two-year field study of drug trafficking activities between Myanmar (formerly Burma) and China. Interviews were conducted with law enforcement officials, community contacts and informants, incarcerated drug traffickers, active street drug dealers, drug addicts, as well as with other researchers in the field. Observations were made both inside the Golden Triangle and the surrounding regions.
People of diverse backgrounds participate in the business of drug trafficking and distribution. Our data showed that most drug traffickers are poorly educated, with few employable skills or alternatives to make a living comparable to their aspirations. Drug traffickers in general do not belong to street gangs, organized crime groups, or terrorist organizations. Most are simply bold risk takers who work with family members, or form alliances with friends or other social contacts whom they come to trust. Drug trafficking operations are carefully planned with ingenious disguises and strategies to evade law enforcement activities. The business of drug trafficking, although dominated by groups of entrepreneurs, resembles a ?learning” organism surprisingly adaptive to law enforcement interventions and market uncertainties. Traffickers continue to develop ingenious concealment and transportation schemes to stay ahead of the authorities. As a result, most drug seizures as reported by government news releases or the media are not the result of checkpoint stops or random inspections but of careful cultivation of intelligence from informants.
Trafficking is mainly considered a way to make money, although earnings vary tremendously according to the roles individuals play in trafficking operations. We do not believe that, based on our data, large criminal organizations or terrorist groups are systematically involved in the drug trafficking business. Nor did we find signs of turf wars or competition among trafficking groups or street dealers. Drug trafficking and street dealing in China as well as in most parts of Southeast Asia appear to remain entrepreneurial in nature and fragmented in practice.
Over the past few decades, drug trafficking between Myanmar and China has evolved in several directions. Shipments of drugs in large quantities have largely disappeared (or perhaps are better concealed) and most drugs are moved in small quantities by large numbers of individuals, or ?mules,” who know little about the organizers behind the scene. Between drug manufacturers and end users are multiple and often overlapping layers of transportation and distribution networks, each involving only a few people. These groups of ?mules” and their organizers work much like ants moving the contraband piece by piece successively from one location to another.
The vast majority of our subjects were involved in heroin transportation. Therefore, our observations and conclusions were mostly based on heroin traffickers, although there is no reason to believe that traffickers of other illicit drugs were much different organizationally and operationally.
Harsh punishment and the totalitarian political regimes appear to have hindered the development of large trafficking organizations in China and Myanmar. International pressure and China?s draconian anti-drug policy have also significantly reduced the scale of opium poppy cultivation in Myanmar, making any sustained supply of heroin in the future doubtful. By official and addicts? accounts, heroin trafficking and use have been on a steady but slow decline for years. The street price of heroin has skyrocketed in the past decade or so in China and other parts of the Golden Triangle, making heroin the least affordable illicit substance on the market. This suggests that heroin supply has become scarce. However, the production of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) such as ice and ketamine has increased rapidly in recent years, suggesting changes in the makeup of the addict population as well as changing market demand in the Golden Triangle region. Countries in the Golden Triangle region have all reported widespread availability of ATS, with those made in Myanmar commanding the highest price.
Many factors may have contributed to the decline of heroin production and trafficking as well as the sharp rise of ATS in the region. The U.S. and other international involvement in the regional anti-narcotics efforts appear to have produced measurable impact in reducing opium poppy cultivation and heroin manufacturing. Findings from this study underscore the importance of continued collaboration and mutual assistance in international efforts. However, counter-narcotic efforts in the region in recent years have either stalled or been disrupted due to Myanmar?s political situation, despite the recent progress. The United States? near total cessation of involvement in Myanmar?s anti-drug effort has not produced any intended political outcomes, but has served to diminish whatever influence the U.S. may have had from its past efforts. Continued financial as well as technical assistance through third country programs should be explored for the United States to remain engaged and monitor regional illicit drug manufacturing and distribution activities. Ample intelligence suggests that Southeast Asia is well on its way to become a major ATS supply source in the world. If one thinks the red-hot Asian economy has flooded North America with cheap consumer goods, wait till Asian drug manufacturers and traffickers show off their entrepreneurial prowess. It will happen in due time.
Ko-lin Chin, Sheldon X. Zhang
Source/publisher:
The United States Department of Justice
Date of publication:
2007-03-31
Date of entry/update:
2008-12-28
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
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Description:
The decline of opium production in the Golden Triangle masks serious flaws in the effectiveness of drug eradication efforts in the region....
"...To prevent exacerbating the hardships already being suffered by rural communities and undermining the sustainability of achievements to date, drug-control policies should be development-oriented. They should take a longer-term perspective and concentrate on putting alternative livelihoods in place for opium farmers. It is vital that the international community does not abandon the Golden Triangle at this crucial time. Without such approaches, it is unlikely that the reduction in opium production will be sustainable..."
Tom Kramer
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 16, No. 11
Date of publication:
2008-10-31
Date of entry/update:
2008-11-15
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma: drug production and trafficking
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
The ethnic Wa party says its nationalist agenda is not funded by the drug trade, but is that the real story? ..."The title of this book is somewhat misleading. It is not either/or: it is perfectly possible to be both. Fifteen years ago, observers argued whether Khun Sa?s Mong Tai Army was a narco-army or a basically political organization. It was also both..."
Bertil Lintner
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 15, No. 12
Date of publication:
2007-11-30
Date of entry/update:
2008-04-27
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma: drug production and trafficking
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
Burma?s contraband trade flourishes in a floating market...
"Beyond prying eyes on shore, the dark waters of the Andaman Sea off the island-dotted coast of southeast Burma?s Mon State frequently host a bizarre night market. Scores of fishing vessels line up side by side, switch on their neon lights and begin buying and selling. The crews and vessel owners trade in everything from women to Mercedes Benz cars.
Most of the trade is coming into Burma illegally, but the most prized commodity is outgoing—drugs.
Despite claims by the junta that it is curbing opium and methamphetamine production, and an acknowledgement by the US State Department that poppy growing in Burma is today less than 20 percent of mid-1990s levels, Burmese drug manufacturing is still a multi-million dollar-a-year business. Burma remains the world?s second-largest opium producer, after Afghanistan, and last year processed about 380 tonnes, said a State Department report earlier this year..."
Aung Zaw
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 14, No. 6
Date of publication:
2006-05-31
Date of entry/update:
2006-12-29
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma: drug production and trafficking
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
In den Grenzregionen des Shan State im Nordosten Burmas, die seit 1989 unter der Kontrolle der United Wa State Army (UWSA) ist, werden 65 Prozent des gesamten Opiums des Landes angebaut. Trotz der Bereitschaft der Landwirte konnten wegen minderwertiger Bodenbeschaffenheit und klimatischer Bedingungen bisher noch keine Erfolg versprechenden Alternativen zum Opiumanbau realisiert werden. Seit dem kompletten Bann im Jahre 2005 werden tiefgreifende humanitäre Konsequenzen für die Region in Form von Menschenhandel, Armut und mangelnder Sicherheit befürchtet.
keywords: ethnic minorities, Wa, Shan State, opium production, opium trafficking, resettlement
Michael Tröster
Source/publisher:
Asienhaus Focus Asien Nr. 26; S. 45-55
Date of publication:
2005-12-29
Date of entry/update:
2006-03-20
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma: drug production and trafficking, Burma: Internal displacement/forced migration of several ethnic groups., Wa (cultural, political, economic)
Language:
Deutsch, German
Local URL:
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Description:
"Koranic law proscribes using money earned from trading in drugs. But many Burmese Muslims in China can?t resist the benefits of joining in.
By Naw Seng/Ruili, China
Picture this: Two young Burmese Muslims are hanging out, wearing neat, bright clothes and American Ray-Ban sunglasses with golden hand chains. Near them is a Chinese-made chopper, and around them are bustling Chinese and Burmese Muslims stealthily unwrapping pieces of cloth to reveal their wares of jade. Are they jade traders, or Mafiosi?
At the corner of the market, a thirty-something Burmese Muslim named Bushi sits in his small store and sells seasonal fruits on the street. He was once like the traders, but last year he lost nearly all of his property. He has no friends and no money. "No one wants to talk to me," he says. "I have been Hkali." In Burmese Muslim usage, Hkali means zero or nil.
Bushi came to China thirteen years ago. For five years he had trafficked heroin, but he stopped after taking a big loss. Before last year, he was a respected leader of the Muslim community in Ruili, a Chinese town on the border with Burma. At that time he had dozens of aides and spent more than 5,000 yuan (US $600) per day in drug earnings. "I understand heroin kills people," he said. But then he had no choice. Now he does. "I don?t want that hell."..."
Source/publisher:
"The Irrawaddy" Vol. 12, No. 2
Date of publication:
2004-01-31
Date of entry/update:
2004-06-09
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma: drug production and trafficking
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
THE PROPOSAL:
"We, the leadership of the United WA State Party (UWSP) and the United WA State Army (UWSA) propose to anyone who might be interested, that we eradicate opium growing and stop the production of heroin in all the territory controlled by the WA. This we are willing to do. It can be done very quickly. I have full authority to speak for the United WA State Party and the United WA State Army which has ample power to carry out this proposal...
THE PLEA"
The plea is a necessary part of the proposal. We need food for our people while we develop substitute crops. Our people are already so poor that to take away opium production without giving them food would mean starvation. Beyond that, we need help of every appropriate kind to make the transition from an opium-based economy to a new agricultural economy..."
Ta Saw Lu
Source/publisher:
United Wa State Party (UWSP) Foreign Affairs Department
Date of publication:
1992-11-30
Date of entry/update:
2003-07-23
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma: drug production and trafficking, Wa (cultural, political, economic), Burma: opium and heroin
Language:
English
Format :
htm
Size:
41.91 KB
Local URL:
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Description:
Contents: origin and history of the opium poppy, the opium poppy plant, Opium poppy growing areas, Field selection and land clearing, Land preparation and cultivation methods, opium harvesting methods, Cooking opium, Extraction of morphine from opium, Conversion of morphine to heroin base,
Conversion of heroin base to heroin No. 3, Conversion of heroin base to heroin No. 4.
Source/publisher:
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Department of Justice.
Date of publication:
2001-02-28
Date of entry/update:
2003-06-03
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
Local URL:
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Description:
Drug Intelligence Brief
Synopsis:
"This report provides an analysis of available data on opium and heroin prices in Mainland Southeast
Asia (Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam). The report is documented with detailed
descriptions of the general wholesale price structure of opium and heroin in Asia. While the heroin
market spans the globe, much of the Southeast Asian opium and heroin product is sold and
consumed within the region. Therefore, the focus in this report is on prices in Southeast Asia with
only limited reference made to United States prices. The data used to prepare this analysis are
drawn from numerous sources. Opium price data are derived from anecdotal reports provided by
confidential sources of the Thai police. Heroin price data are acquired from a variety of sources to
include law enforcement reporting, intelligence reports, and open sources of information. There are many factors impacting drug prices..."
Source/publisher:
Intelligence Division, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) of the US Dept. of Justice
Date of publication:
2001-01-31
Date of entry/update:
2003-06-03
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
Local URL:
more