Asean needs to engage more closely with the group's newest member in
order to combat amphetamine production and distribution in Shan state and along
the Thai border
Following the recent seizure of
3.3 million methamphetamine pills with an estimated value of Bt1 billion in
Nakhon Pathom's Buddha Monthon district, Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm
Yoobamrung has pointed the finger at Myanmar and Vietnam for the massive flow
of illicit drugs into Thailand. Chalerm is the man charged with fighting the
scourge of drug trafficking in this country.
Despite the large hauls of meth -
known locally as yaa baa - that have been seized by Thai police lately, the
drug problem seems to be continuing unabated. The issue has been a major
concern to the Asean regional grouping, which at its meeting in Bangkok a few
weeks ago proposed a drug-free Southeast Asia by 2015.
Representing Thailand at the
meeting, Chalerm asserted that this goal depended on other countries asserting
that both Myanmar and Vietnamese authorities must do more to resolve the
narcotics problem in the region.
There's no denying that the drug
problem won't go away without Myanmar taking urgent action, because drug
production predominates in the Wa region of Shan State.
Systematic drug production is alive
and well in Wa areas concentrated in the northeast of the state. This has gone
on for decades with the protection of the United Wa State Army (UWSA), whose
drug barons control both territory and drugs. The UWSA has been called Asia's
largest and most dangerous drug cartel, and the group continues to make massive
profits from trafficking.
Poppy cultivation in the region
involves mostly female farmers. They are ordered to grow poppies by the Wa
authorities, who in turn collect taxes from distributors. Researchers report
that drug production in the Wa areas has attracted buyers from neighbouring
countries including Thailand. They meet growers and producers at a
UWSA-controlled marketplace, where the best-quality opium is available. The
business is conducted in an atmosphere that could be mistaken for a tea-auction
house.
Many of the illicit drugs flowing
into Thailand originate in the Wa areas. The town of Tachilek, opposite
Thailand's Mae Sai district in Chiang Rai, is the main drug-smuggling channel.
Other trafficking routes straddle the porous border between our countries.
Rivers along the frontier in northern Thailand are now patrolled heavily as
part of the government's tougher measures to crack down on trafficking.
Over the years, due to periodic
clampdowns by the Thai authorities, the base for the production of the
precursor chemicals such as pseudoephedrine - used to make methamphetamine -
has relocated to Vietnam.
It's true that it's difficult to
reduce, let alone wipe out, the drug problem. But to tackle the issue more
efficiently, Asean member-countries need to talk to Myanmar more consistently,
and on a range of issues, not just about its democratic aspirations. The drug
problem in areas under the control of ethnic groups should be one of the
priority concerns. It's important that we work together to reduce the severity
of the problem.
It seems these days that police
seizures of yaa baa and other speed pills are a daily occurrence. The momentum
of the narcotics-suppression policy must be sustained continuously and
consistently for longer periods, regardless of Cabinet reshuffles or changes of
government.
Without closer ties among the
Asean partners, it will be impossible to implement an effective policy across
the Asean community. It's time to pool resources and technology in order to
stem the flow of illicit drugs. First and foremost, that effort begins with
Myanmar. Asean members must make sure that the drug-trafficking issue is a
priority at every Asean gathering, and that Myanmar is an integral part of the
resolution of the problem.
We need more action, not
rhetoric, from Asean leaders in putting an end to drug trafficking in the
region.
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