Narcotic Drugs and the Burmese Generals
Kanbawza Win
2 September 2001
Since the Taliban has eliminated opium, Burma is able to retain the title of The Greatest Heroin Producing Country of the World. According to US State Department figures, opium poppy cultivation covers 154,000 hectares and yields 2,365 metric tons of opium gum-- enough to produce 230 tons of heroin to satisfy the North American heroin market.
The drug trade in Shan State, Burma's eastern part, continues virtually unchecked and the Burmese Generals continue to ignore the drug warlords' trafficking groups e.g. the United Wa State Army (UWSA) and the Kokang militia, with whom they have negotiated cease-fires. They did not even know when the seven Thai narcotics officials were kidnapped by the UWSA. One thing is vividly clear: the Burmese Generals have not the will, the ability nor the resources to take effective action to suppress heroin. All they can do is to lobby for more funds from the international community under the pretext of eradicating the opium crop, which, once in their hands, can be diverted for the army's use.
Most of the opium cultivation, traditionally in the mountainous regions of the Shan plateau (eastern Burma), has been expanding into areas under the Burmese Generals' control: the west bank of the Salween river (which could be called Burma's Red River) as well as in Chin state along the western border with India (US satellite photo). The Burmese army officers posted in these remote areas visit rural villages, practically encouraging the peasants to plant more opium with the excuse that it is going to be used in traditional medicines and is the only way to pay taxes, while to some remote isolate hamlets the military personnel themselves deliver the poppy seeds and provide technical assistance during the harvest time. Forced labour, now quite a common feature in Burma, is not confined to public works, railway construction or porterage for the army only but also in the forced narco agriculture.
"Silk Road of Drugs" recently published in the Bangkok Post clearly out line the connection of drug trade with the Junta, Singapore, China and the drug war lords. It points out that a deep seaport opened in June, hailed as Burma's economic development would not have been possible with the blessings of the Burmese military government. China was only too happy in moving these drug producing groups from its border. The seizing of five million methaphetamine tablets destined to Singapore also points out the Singapore connection.
Gentlemen of Myanmar
The peaceful entry of the Burmese army into Ho Mong, the headquarters of the well-known drug lord Khun Hsa (better known as the Mong Tai Army) in1996 year is authentic proof that the drug kingpin and the Burmese generals are in the same boat. Furthermore, Khun Hsa has not only been amnestied or rehabilitated but has been publicly honoured and the Burmese media have lovingly referred to him as U Khun Hsa. (The Burmese prefix U, pronounced Oo, signifies a dignified person of a certain age on a par with ruling Burmese Generals like U Ne Win.) Logic dictates that a big drug lord obviously welcomes a smaller drug lord as a brother into his legal fold.
How come the best-known figure of the heroin trade in the world and the most wanted men in the United States have escaped criticism from any regional or international body? The answer is simple. Constructive Engagement, a term used by the Association of Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN), originally composed of Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia but now expanded to include Burma and the Indo-Chinese countries. The regional authorities praise the Junta for its superb diplomacy and economic gains. But what is surprising is that the United Nations Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) is cooperating with Rangoon. Besides known smaller drug war lords such as Lin Ming-Xing of the Eastern Shan State Army, Yang Mao-liang, Peng Chia-sheng and Liu Go-shi of the Myanmar Democratic Alliance Army, Pao Yu-chiang, Li Tzu-ju and Wei Hsuh-kang of the United Wa State Army and the likes who are all former rebel drug war lords of the Chinese origin have all become leaders of the national races taking the honourable position in the drafting Burma's new constitution better known as the National Convention. Thus U S Secretary of State Mandeleine Albright comments," Drug traffickers who once spent their days leading mule trains down jungle tracks are now leading lights in Burma's new market economy."
Ne Win, the Evil Genius
Every Burmese knew who was pulling the strings behind the Burmese Generals: Ne Win, still the old strong man . Credit should also go to his cohorts whose strict confidentiality and quick execution of meticulously- planned operations caught the US intelligence by surprise. One might recall that the very fact that New Year's Day was chosen for the surrender of Khun Has, with the US satellite and field agent observers engrossed in their New Year celebrations. This prevented early and strong US pressure to extradite Khun Hsa. It was only five days later when the US embassy in Bangkok opened after the Christmas holidays that Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Winston Lord, issued a statement. So Khun Hsa's position in Rangoon is a fait accompli.
As a native Burmese, who had worked hand in glove with this evil genius, we can imagine whose brilliant strategy this was. The great Burmese helmsman has construed that the democracy movement led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi constitutes a far more serious threat than the ethnic groups fighting for autonomy. If these two were successfully combined, it would mean Ne Win days were numbered, and so to implement this divide-and-rule policy, he has ordered the initiation of cease-fire agreements with most of the freedom fighters and concentrated his energy on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's democracy movement. These cease-fire agreements have served as a real catalyst in the rapid transformation of the relationship between the Burmese Army and guerrilla movements engaged in the drug business. Partnership has replaced armed confrontation; huge portions of territory in Shan State, previously battle fields between the guerrillas and Rangoon, have been turned into poppy fields to such an extent that American and French satellite surveys have detected an explosion of poppy cultivation hitherto unknown in areas directly controlled by Rangoon.
Narco Dollars
The Thai border town of Mae Sai, linked by a bridge to the Burmese sister town of Tachileik, boasts several banks that regularly and systematically transfer huge amounts of money to anonymous bank accounts in Singapore Every flight to Tachileik from Rangoon and Mandalay brings hordes of Burmese military officers clad in mufti with parcels of bank notes. They walk across the bridge to the international banking network. Commissions, protection and transportation costs are all handled by the Military Intelligence Service, now known as the Directorate of Defence Services Intelligence. This is how the Burmese generals are able to channel Burmese heroin revenue into secret funds and are able to equip and expand the army twofold (the target is half a million men, at a cost of more than $ 2.4 billion, with an official currency.) Singapore's efficient banking system graciously accepts all these accounts, being herself a major supplier of arms to the Burmese army. Singapore has also installed a high-tech Cyber Warfare spying centre for tapping domestic phone, fax and e-mail lines on a country-wide basis.
Singapore Connection
Between private pockets of high ranking Burmese generals and their relatives on one hand and defence spending on the other, it is very hard to determine exactly where the narco dollars end, e.g. the private ownership of Air Mandalay based in Singapore (Myanmar Airways is also based in Singapore) -- the new holding has received loans from the French bank to operate French/Italian made ATR aircraft. This particular commercial operation, categorized as a state secret, conceals the number and the identities of the true shareholders. This lack of transparency in a country like Singapore, which claims to apply very strict anti-drug laws with death penalties, and has executed hundreds of small-time drug traffickers, seems paradoxical. The fact is that Singapore, a staunch supporter of the Burmese Army and Burma's largest investor, has not uncovered a single case of money laundering in the numerous financial and co-operative operations. Even as far back as 1992, the Far Eastern Economic Review, demonstrated (suggested?) that the only substantial source of hard currency for these genocidal generals is from the export of heroin, raised many peoples' eyebrows.
Any person from Southeast Asia knows that the Singapore authorities at the highest level are using the New York-based Morgan Guaranty Trust Company, a subsidiary of J. P. Morgan, as a custodial operative in engaging in joint ventures with one of the world's notorious drug war lords and with the drug- backed military dictatorship of Burma. This has been confirmed in corporate, government and legal documents from four other countries and has been contended by high-ranking US narcotics and government officials in private interviews. What more proof is wanted when the de facto undisputed leader of Singapore himself has business relations with the renowned heroin trafficker Lo Hse Han of Burma and his business partner, Steven Law? Their operations in Burma, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the United States are now the focus of an ongoing US narcotics and money laundering investigation. No doubt part of their deadly stuff has found its way to Canada.
Singapore co-operated with the Burmese embassy at Martin Drive in sending back the Burmese dissidents (pro-democracy movement members) to be persecuted in a much-publicized case in 1992 and gave their sons and daughters to be married to the offspring of the Burmese drug war lords (highlighted in the Burmese media was the marriage of the son of former drug kingpin Lo Hse Hang to Ng Sor Hong of S'pore Janseng Road) under the watchful eye of its arch leader Harry Lee (Lee Kwan Yew) has demonstrated their Kiasu spirit of double standard.
US Policy
The American Government, torn between its own global moral responsibility of advocating human rights and democracy in Third World countries and the protection of American citizens from the alarming danger of soaring illicit drug use and narcotic-related violence at home, has not figured out how to react even though it is the first country to declare trade sanctions on Burma. The US Drug Enforcement Administration, in its failure to understand in depth the Burmese situation, has been increasingly calling for a softer approach to the Burmese generals. This includes normal relations with Burma including the reinstallation of the US ambassador to Rangoon where full diplomatic relations would enable co-operation with the Burmese junta for the drug menace. Republican Congressman Charles Rangel, in his speech to the House Committee on International Relations and the subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific has said, "Please extend the hand of co-operation and do not use human rights as an excuse to sever relations that could cause the stoppage of hundreds tons of heroin." Coupled with this is the drastic switch of Australia and the European Union to a softer approach, in spite of Leo Nicholas, Scandinavia's Honorary Consul, being tortured to death. This proved how business deals far override moral conscience. The French, who used to meddle in Quebec's affairs, have openly supported the Burmese Junta. The TOTAL oil company, partly owned by the French government, is the leading European investor in Burma shoring up millions of dollars into the coffers of the Burmese junta, who have used it to suppress the pro-democracy movement. Perhaps the current French administration construes that 'Liberty, Equality and Fraternity' are confined to France only.
Even though we accept that business always supersedes moral obligation, we would make an ardent and passionate appeal to the world to see from another perspective. If we were to quote the US chief drug advisor and policy- maker, Dr Lee Brown, "The best way to serve both the US people who are suffering under the drug trade and the Burmese people who are suffering under the repressive regime is to side with the democratic resistance in any way we can to overthrow the dictatorship and see that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who was honestly elected, is able to become the leader of this country." Otherwise the biggest drug war lord, better known by its ugly acronym SPDC, together with its retinue of drug war lords, will simply laugh at the North American efforts, even as our youths die of drugs in the city streets. Opium has not only sustained them in power but also has been able to humble the mighty Uncle Sam who dares to criticize them. The crux of the problem was that the Junta's had successfully used the double edge sword by making cease fire agreements with the opium growing tribes. Not only has the drug trade supplied them with unlimited source of financial supplies but was also able to smash the ethnic and pro-democracy alliance with the Wa groups. Until and unless strong action is implemented and the whole concept of the Burmese government is changed, Burma will continue to provide the bulk of the world's opium supply, for the SPDC's rationale is that men will come and men will go but the opium poppy will go on forever.
(The author is a visiting Professor at the Faculty of International Development Studies, University of Winnipeg Cum Research Fellow at the University of Manitoba at the Institute of Humanities, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The opinions expressed here are his own.)