12 Year Old Thai Boy's Shooting Blows Lid On Drug Network, Corrupt Police

[surangw]

"blows lid on drug network"

or more likely just puts in the news what everyone already knows is going on

[Colabamumbai]

Cheer up it has actually gotten a lot better. Within the memories (1960's) of many forum members there were drug caravans marching down the main streets of Chiang Mai. The Thai Army and police forces fought openly over control of the narcotics business. There is even a statue of Khun Sa the father of Thailand's modern drug trade.

Nothing has improved, and the upper police ranks are still heavily involved in the domestic drug trade.

First, I personally only know of two westerners who have been in Chiang Mai continuously since the 1960s, both retired missionaries, neither of whom I believe visits these forums. The local involvement in the drug trade did not begin in earnest until the early 1970s. Best to read Alfred McCoy's seminal book, The Politics of Heroin, for a more precise time line. I have yet to see a picture showing a drug laden mule caravan marching down the main streets of Chiang Mai city. Khun Sa controlled the cross border trafficking, but it was influential Thais who both then and now control the domestic sales of drugs. I would imagine that key Thai bankers, in partnership with high ranking politicians, who would be the real "fathers" of the domestic drug trade and not Khun Sa who spent his life in remote mountaintop retreats where he lived the good life only relative to his neighboring Shan villagers.

Khun Sa offered to sell out to the U.S. goverment, including all his heroin and opium stock and they refused, and yes "The Politics of Heroin in Southeast Asia" the best book ever written on the subject.

[mark45y]

Cheer up it has actually gotten a lot better. Within the memories (1960's) of many forum members there were drug caravans marching down the main streets of Chiang Mai. The Thai Army and police forces fought openly over control of the narcotics business. There is even a statue of Khun Sa the father of Thailand's modern drug trade.

Nothing has improved, and the upper police ranks are still heavily involved in the domestic drug trade.

First, I personally only know of two westerners who have been in Chiang Mai continuously since the 1960s, both retired missionaries, neither of whom I believe visits these forums. The local involvement in the drug trade did not begin in earnest until the early 1970s. Best to read Alfred McCoy's seminal book, The Politics of Heroin, for a more precise time line. I have yet to see a picture showing a drug laden mule caravan marching down the main streets of Chiang Mai city. Khun Sa controlled the cross border trafficking, but it was influential Thais who both then and now control the domestic sales of drugs. I would imagine that key Thai bankers, in partnership with high ranking politicians, who would be the real "fathers" of the domestic drug trade and not Khun Sa who spent his life in remote mountaintop retreats where he lived the good life only relative to his neighboring Shan villagers.

The Politics of Heroin in Southeast Asia

Secret War in Burma: The KMT

Chiang Mai 1957

Almost all the KMT opium was sent south to Thailand, either by mule train or aircraft. Soon after their arrival in Burma, the KMT formed a mountain transport unit, recruiting local mule drivers and their animals. Since most of their munitions and supplies were hauled overland from Thailand, the KMT mule caravans found it convenient to haul opium on the outgoing trip from Mong Hsat and soon developed a regular caravan trade with Thailand. Burmese military sources claimed that much of the KMT opium was flown from Mong Hsat in "unmarked" C-47s flying to Thailand and Taiwan. In any case, once the KMT opium left Mong Hsat it was usually shipped to Chiangmai, where a KMT colonel maintained a liaison office with the Nationalist Chinese consulate and with local Thai authorities. Posing as ordinary Chinese merchants, the colonel and his staff used raw opium to pay for the munitions, food, and clothing that arrived from Bangkok at the Chiangmai railhead. Once the materiel was paid for, it was this colonel's responsibility to forward it to Mong Hsat. Usually the KMT dealt with the commander of the Thai police, General Phao, who shipped the opium from Chiangmai to Bangkok for both local consumption and export.

[meom]

Khun Sa offered to sell out to the U.S. goverment, including all his heroin and opium stock and they refused, and yes "The Politics of Heroin in Southeast Asia" the best book ever written on the subject.

It's a good book but largely outdated.

A more up to date version that describes the current drug trade is written by Bertil Lintner and Michael Black in the 2009 book Merchants of Madness.

[katana]

This video was posted in another thread by SamritT, of the Thai police taking out the boy's suspected killer, Joke Phaikhiew, in Uthai district in Ayuthaya earlier in the week on 11-12/12/10.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hcguy0aPWsA

http://www.thairath.co.th/content/region/133507

[Roamin47]

"You have no idea what is going on here - the drug trade is thriving - these greedy bastards destroying an entire generation with their poison! The streets are swamped with drugs supplying already children and teenagers destroying the future they might have had! "

Uh, no. Drugs are a problem here as they are in virtually every other country in the world, and drug use among the young is disturbing in Thailand as anywhere. But "an entire generation" destroyed? I see plenty of young people in Chiang Mai who appear studious, well-mannered, serious and respectful. If the future of the young is being compromised, it is more by inadequate schooling -- really, is there any reason on earth why Chinese students should be more fluent in English than Thai kids? -- and limited job opportunities. The hysteria over drugs is a smokescreen.

[mark45y]

"You have no idea what is going on here - the drug trade is thriving - these greedy bastards destroying an entire generation with their poison! The streets are swamped with drugs supplying already children and teenagers destroying the future they might have had! "

Uh, no. Drugs are a problem here as they are in virtually every other country in the world, and drug use among the young is disturbing in Thailand as anywhere. But "an entire generation" destroyed? I see plenty of young people in Chiang Mai who appear studious, well-mannered, serious and respectful. If the future of the young is being compromised, it is more by inadequate schooling -- really, is there any reason on earth why Chinese students should be more fluent in English than Thai kids? -- and limited job opportunities. The hysteria over drugs is a smokescreen.

Asian children perform better than non Asian kids in most American school systems. Why is it that Chinese kids speak better English than Thai kids. Same reason that Asian kids out perform American kids. Their parents want them to. Chinese parents are better at motivating their children than American or Thai parents.

I don't know if drugs are rampant in Chinese schools. Drugs are rampant in Thai government schools. I say that from personal experience inside the schools and not as an outsider looking in.

Perhaps someone with a knowledge of Chinese schools could comment.

[TAWP]

"You have no idea what is going on here - the drug trade is thriving - these greedy bastards destroying an entire generation with their poison! The streets are swamped with drugs supplying already children and teenagers destroying the future they might have had! "

Uh, no. Drugs are a problem here as they are in virtually every other country in the world, and drug use among the young is disturbing in Thailand as anywhere. But "an entire generation" destroyed? I see plenty of young people in Chiang Mai who appear studious, well-mannered, serious and respectful. If the future of the young is being compromised, it is more by inadequate schooling -- really, is there any reason on earth why Chinese students should be more fluent in English than Thai kids? -- and limited job opportunities. The hysteria over drugs is a smokescreen.

Asian children perform better than non Asian kids in most American school systems. Why is it that Chinese kids speak better English than Thai kids. Same reason that Asian kids out perform American kids. Their parents want them to. Chinese parents are better at motivating their children than American or Thai parents.

I don't know if drugs are rampant in Chinese schools. Drugs are rampant in Thai government schools. I say that from personal experience inside the schools and not as an outsider looking in.

Perhaps someone with a knowledge of Chinese schools could comment.

It's not about being better at motivating the children per se - with the single-child-policy the kids are infused early on that all of their closest relatives, especially their parents, future depend on them and all the parents work are for that kid only.

I have several friends from mainland China and all of them now of classmates that committed suicide over pressure of not succeeding enough. We are talking about girls throwing themselves off the dorm-roof for getting comparative 3.8 in GPA instead if 3.85-3.9. My friends talk about the parents constant disappointment with them - even if they are above average and outperform Thai students when they come over here to study for their BA or MA.

[aussiejosh]

Drugs are every where in bangkok... Last night alone i saw 1 waitress and a customer walk to a corner and exchange things, some farang hand a dude a bage covered in tissues in exchange for cash, and when I went to khao sarn later in the evening one of the bar staff asked me if I wanted Ecstasy... I was like "there is a cop sitting at this bar, and you ask me that?" he said the cop was cool.... I would never EVER see this ins the US. Probably in mexico they operate more openly but to say you don't want to see Thailand as bad as the US or mexico in terms of consumption is wrong. I actually think it is higher here, especially with younger groups.

Its all corrupt here, and crazy.

[aussiejosh]

Drugs are every where in bangkok... Last night alone i saw 1 waitress and a customer walk to a corner and exchange things, some farang hand a dude a bage covered in tissues in exchange for cash, and when I went to khao sarn later in the evening one of the bar staff asked me if I wanted Ecstasy... I was like "there is a cop sitting at this bar, and you ask me that?" he said the cop was cool.... I would never EVER see this ins the US. Probably in mexico they operate more openly but to say you don't want to see Thailand as bad as the US or mexico in terms of consumption is wrong. I actually think it is higher here, especially with younger groups.

Its all corrupt here, and crazy.