Naypyidaw’s drug addiction
With unique access and information from the ground, the Lahu National Development Organisation (LNDO) examines in this report how the Burma Army benefits directly from the drug trade in eastern Shan State. The findings show how conflict and drug production in Burma are inextricably linked, and that only a political resolution of the decadeslong ethnic conflict will enable Burma’s drug crisis to be addressed.
Despite ceasefires, the central government’s refusal to cede to ethnic demands for federalism has caused a steady military build-up by both the Burma Army and ethnic armed groups in eastern Shan State. Over the past ten years, the number of Burma Army troops in seven eastern Shan townships has risen from over 10,000 to over 14,000. Significantly for the drug trade, this includes a substantial increase in the number of Burma Army militia troops—from about 2,300 to 3,400—who serve the vital purpose of maintaining central government control over inaccessible mountainous areas.
Download full report in English here.
Download full report in Burmese here.
အစီရင္ခံစာ ျမန္မာဘာသာကို ဤေနရာတြင္ ေဒါင္းလုပ္ရယူႏိုင္ပါသည္။
