Tension eases but problems continue

Thailand is ravaged by an inflow of drugs, the likes of which had never before been imagined. Opium, heroin and methamphetamines are on their way to addicting an estimated four million Thais this year. Health workers in Bangkok say they are fighting a losing battle until Burma can be persuaded to turn off the tap. Nearly 100 percent of the drugs abused by Thais come from our western neighbor.

The broken promises and false denials are especially troubling. Years before Mr. Thaksin traveled to Rangoon in an attempt at personal diplomacy, Burma was regularly dissembling. Rangoon claimed to have wiped out 8,400 hectares of poppy last year. Yet figures from the UN, United States and other sources show that the overall acreage last year increased by 9,400 hectares.

Col. Kyaw Thein is the official spokesman for the Burmese Office of Strategic Studies intelligence agency. Last April, he assured Thai officers Burma would help to wipe out drug factories along the border. Apart from official Burma-Thai agreements, the Burmese junta approved new liaison offices along the frontier to monitor drug trafficking, inform on smugglers and generally increase the effectiveness of its drug eradication program.

No one believes the Rangoon claims that it cannot control its northern areas. That was a credible if over-used excuse in the days of Lo Hsing-han, Khun Sa and the Shan trafficking gangs. But drugs are clearly in the hands of a major ally of the Burmese dictatorship, the United Wa State Army. Lt.-Gen. Khin Nyunt, a junta leader, is close to the Wa leadership, and has openly visited and supported the Wa "drug city" of Mong Yawn. If the Burmese police do not enter Mong Yawn, it is only because the junta wishes them to stay out.

Mr. Thaksin's trip to Burma, and the return visit of Foreign Minister Win Aung, had one success. It cooled the building border tension so life and commerce could return to normal. Unfortunately, "normal" is the state where Burma feels confident to continue its open support for drug traffickers. The major threat to Thai security from Burmese drugs has not improved since Mr. Thaksin's visit. Burma must take positive steps to co-operate in the fight against drug trafficking. If the root cause of the problem is not tackled, further trouble is likely.

-- The Bangkok Post