Ranger-lead youths destroy opium farms in Chiang Mai

 

CHIANG MAI, 30 January 2017 (NNT) – A task force of the 36th Ranger Regiment in Chiang Mai led local youths in an operation to destroy opium farms in Omkoi district. 

The 36th Ranger Regiment commander, along with government officials, led the operation to destroy three opium farms in Omkoi district, Chiang Mai province, participated by about 50 local youths and villagers. 

The operation was aimed to raise the awareness among local youth and public on the danger of narcotics, encouraging them to participate in narcotics prevention and suppression measures. 

The 36th Ranger Regimen commander also delivered blankets and consumable items to the participating youths and villagers and urged them to conduct surveillance for illegal narcotics movement in the area and prevent the uses of narcotics in communities. 

The 36th Ranger Regimen has already destroyed 485 opium farms in 463 rai of land. Most were found scattered in valleys on the northern mountains.

 

-- nnt 2017-01-30

Sounds all very commendable, but there's a vague hint of Brownshirt or Cultural Revolution in the background that gives me pause for thought when they are involving youths (whatever that means).  The possibility that your own or neighbors' children may turn informant in return for some "consumable items" is not something to have constantly lurking in the background in any community.  OK, it may be in a good cause as far as drug cultivation is concerned, but it's potentially only a step away from encouraging them to report politically unacceptable talk in return for more points towards that Samsung Galaxy or simply settling a childish score.

 

The Royal initiatives which worked to offer economically viable alternatives to poppy growers seems like a better approach in the long term.

 

 

Not the end of this one.. retribution is coming from the growers... think they are just going to see their crop / profits float away.. more will come....

 

 

so now all these youths know what it looks like and where it can grow and where to look for seasonal work...  

Ranger-led, not ranger-lead.