Don Pathan
The Nation
NATIONAL Security Council chief Kachadpai Burusapatana yesterday announced the widely expected closure of a northern border checkpoint to prevent the flow of drugs from Burma.
The closure will also help eliminate the flow of chemicals used for making methamphetamines into the area where a large number of heroin and amphetamines labs are situated, Kajudpai said.
He added that China, which borders Burma, would be urged to do more to help curb narcotic activities in the area.
After meeting with a number of government agencies -- including the military, foreign ministry, police, and the Office of Narcotic Control Board -- Kachadpai said the all party-committee had agreed that the closing of Baan San Ton Doo checkpoint would help restrict the flow of drugs from the Wa Hills.
The area is controlled by the United Wa State Army, one of the world largest armed narcotic trafficking group operating out of Burma Shan State along the Thai-Burma border. Baan San Ton Doo is situated in Chiang Mai's Mae Ai District.
The committee's finding was forwarded to the Ministry of Interior yesterday and the provincial authorities are expected to close the checkpoint in the near future, he said.
The multi-agencies committee agreed yesterday that the closure would not detrimentally affect the local economy as only Bt70 million of goods were transported through the checkpoint last year, Kachudpai said.
The controversial checkpoint was opened last year at the request of the provincial authorities and the approval of the National Security Council. It links Mae Ai District to the United Wa State Army (UWSA) southern command in Mong Yawn, which is about 3O kilometers inside Shan State.
Kachadpai defended last year's decision to open Baan Son Ton Doo, saying that the government agencies were not aware of the UWSA's narcotic activities in the area at the time when the opening of the checkpoint was being considered.
He suggested that the checkpoint could be reopened if the Burmese government agreed to set up the necessary agencies, such as customs and immigration, at the crossing point.
UWSA was allowed to shift its operations from Panghsang on the China-Burma border after signing a cease-fire agreement with the Burmese junta in 1989. The deal was arranged by Burma's powerful security chief Lt Gen Khin Nyunt as part of Rangoon's effort to neutralise the 20,000-strong rebel group.
Since the opening of the checkpoint last year, UWSA has welcomed outsiders, allowing Thai merchants to transport everything from household goods to construction materials. Twice a week, hundreds of local Thai merchants line up at the checkpoint waiting to be screened by immigration and customs officers before entering what has long been a no-go area.
Thousands of Thai nationals are involved in a mix of projects including small dams, hospitals and schools in and around Mong Yawn. A road construction project -- financed by both the junta and the UWSA -- which will link Chiang Mai's Mae Ai district to Mong Yawn and Mong Hsat some 90 kilometres inside Burma's Shan State -- is expected to be completed this year. A loop linking Mong Hsat to the popular border town of Tachilek opposite Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district is also underway.
Rangoon has been accused by the international community of turning a blind eye to narcotic activities in the country, while the government insists that it does not have full control of its rebel-plagued border.
''The closure of the checkpoint is just one measure,'' said Kachadpai. ''We plan to involve the local villagers in the fight against drugs.''
In recent months, Thai border officials have engaged in a number of gunfights with drug trafficking groups crossing over from the Burmese side.
Kachudpai said about 80 per cent of all the amphetamines flooding the country originated from the area.
UWSA is on the verge of becoming the next controller of the Golden Triangle's illicit drug trade, replacing Khun Sa and his Mong Tai Army who surrendered to the Burmese government three years ago in return for amnesty.
Thai and US drug agencies estimate that about 1,700 tonnes of raw opium were cultivated in the Triangle last year, down from 2,300 tonnes the previous year, partly because of bad weather. About 10 kilogrammes of opium is needed to make a kilogramme of heroin.
