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Opium drought ends

By a correspondent in Chiang Mei, north-west Thailand.

Happy days are here again for; the opium-growing hill tribes of south-east Asia and the ; dealers who process and sell’their product ;\ After two years of drought ’in the <Golden Triangle — the 75,000 square miles of hilly country where Burma, Laos and Thailand; meet, -r the. rains ■ have come. Thai officials estimatet that: a bumper -600 ; itonnes 6f opium will be harvested. next April. ►. T ’ The crop should -be easy*. tbKsell, " because some of th a world’s other drug-producing areasare having problems. Afghan poppy farmers are busy killing Russians. Iran and Iraq are fighting each other. Pakistan and Turkey

show signs of getting tougher with drug dealers and smugglers. ■ Most of the Golden Triangle’s poppy fields are. \ in Burma, but most of the opium finds its way to the- ’ outside world through Thailand’s ; excellent ’ transport system. . \... . ? The Thais co-operate with; t narcotic agents from ,10/ < countries- (including.-'Newft, Zealand) to track ■: dqmi < drug couriers, and. shipments / . of- : the ■' chemicals, used; to . turn the opium into heroin. Acetic-;,s anhydride, ; 'for example, is thought to eome ? to Thailand / frorn . Japan < 1 through Taiwan and J‘Malaysia and is then moved across the border to illegal

heroin ’ laboratories in Burma. <■. ' But one way or ; the'\;drug .inen continue to <■?-thrive." Until fairly recently corrupt' Thai officials were ? believed to be taking their / cut Troth the appalling Ltrade-; Crop replacement .—cof- - fee, for example Sr- was » thought be . the . way to discourage: growers, but that y - did /not work because ■■ the growers "are; addicted ; to- . opium, not coffee. And the > money is . getting better for.; trafficker. .Aokitof of high-quality heroin "sells for . $lB,OOO wholesale in Bangy' kbk" and up to $200,000 fa 'New York." How many coffee beans make that kind of money.

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19801229.2.106

Bibliographic details

Press, 29 December 1980, Page 16

Word Count
296

Opium drought ends Press, 29 December 1980, Page 16

Opium drought ends Press, 29 December 1980, Page 16