Anyone interested in Thailand’s relationship with its western neighbor, or in the Southeast Asian drug trade more generally, would do well to read this AP article about narcotics production in Myanmar’s Shan state.
The article quotes Burmese poppy farmers, who relate how the cultivation of opium poppies is their only viable source of income in a region of Myanmar otherwise neglected by the central government. Drug traders, in turn, transport these wares across Myanmar’s porous border into Thailand, from which they are shipped throughout Asia and the globe.
Cultivation of both opium and methamphetamines in Myanmar has increased in recent years, owing to what some speculate is an attempt by drug dealers to gather as much capital as they can before the creation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), which will allow them to invest these gains legally.
The result of these maneuvers? A 66% year-on-year increase in methamphetamine seizures in Thailand, for starters.
For a further explication of this complicated relationship, check out the full article.
