4 Growth and abuse of opium and its derivatives is traditional with many of the 275,000 hill tribesmen living in northern Thailand. Fighting in Burma and China forced hill tribes into the area. These tribes include the Mieo and the Yao; both are culturally close to the Chinese. They brought with them the practice of growing and smoking opium and are considered the primary growers of opium in northern Thailand today. They have been permitted to settle in the country without disturbance to their tribal integrity. Some of the ethnic Chinese groups in the tri-border area are frequently referred to as Chinese Irregular Forces or as the KMT irregulars. Many of these groups are led by, and include within their ranks, the Chinese Nationalist troops who fled China in 1949 to escape the Communist takeover. A larger portion of the approximately 4,000 "troops" of the Chinese Irregular Forces are natives of the area and second-generation offspring of the many inter-marriages with natives of the area. In the 1950's a vigorous effort by local governments resulted in the removal to Taiwan of several thousand of the Chinamainland escapees and their dependents. The remnants have, since their arrival, maintained a paramilitary status as a matter of necessity, to survive against various hostile governments in whose areas they have settled. Many of these groups hire out as mercenary military units to local merchants and traders and occasionally to local governments. They have involved themselves in various commercial enterprises, including opium traffic. They have become involved with opium as have a number of other ethnic groups in the area, primarily as a means of profiting from the area's only cash-crop-currently the sole available means of exceeding a subsistence-level existence. During the trip, a law was passed in Laos making possession of opium illegal. It is too early to evaluate the effects of the law on the production of opium in the area. Production and transportation of opium and its derivatives The tri-border area is rugged, mountainous and dense. Opium is grown on mountainsides at the three to seven thousand foot level. It is relatively easy to identify potential poppy fields from the air; however, positive identification is not possible without the use of special equipment. During the harvest, which usually occurs during January and February, the poppy bulb is sliced. From this incision oozes a gum which dries and turns dark brown. This is raw opium. Merchants transport raw opium to assembling and distribution localities, forming so-called. "opium caravans." Much opium is converted in a "refinery" to smoking opium by cooking it in water, screening out twigs and other foreign matters, pouring off the water and allowing the substance to harden. At times, various substances are added before smoking. In various parts of the Malay Peninsula, smoking opium contains a pigskin additive, which is reputed to make the smoke more aromatic. In South Vietnam, opium with vegetable additives is not unusual. This opium, although generally used for smoking, can also be soaked in water and hypodermically injected. Before drying, opium can undergo a laboratory process and be converted to morphine. The morphine-based opiate, termed 999 (the designation of a World War II, Burma-based Nationalist Chinese army 5 outfit), is marketable in most Asian countries, especially Singapore. It can be chipped into a powder, liquified, and injected. "Red rock" or "number 3" heroin is a by-product of the morphine process. Red rock heroin contains a low percentage of heroin and is almost exclusively smoked. Most of the drug abuse by the tribesmen of northern Thailand consists of smoking opium or red rock heroin. Few Asians "mainline" heroin. Morphine can undergo a second laboratory process and be converted into heroin hydrochloride, which is "white" or "number 4" heroin. Annual production of opium in the tri-border area is estimated by the Department of State to be in the volume of 650 to 800 metric tons: 400 tons from the northern insurgent-controlled hills of Burma, 150 to 200 tons in the northern hills of Thailand and from 50 to 100 tons in Laos. The Department of Defense and the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs estimate that 1,000 tons of opium will be produced in the tri-border area this year. During 1970 only 400 tons were produced in Turkey. The fantastic profit involved in the production and sale of opium and its derivatives is shown by the following table: Raw opium: TABLE A.-JUNE, 1971 AVERAGE SELLING PRICE OF OPIATES BY AREA Hill tribe remote areas in the tri-border area of Thailand, Bangkok. Singapore Hong Kong Prepared opium: Vientiane (Laos). Bangkok U.S. Dollars per kilogram 30-40 75-90 125-175 165-200 70-75 100-125 During 1970, sixteen refineries producing opium, morphine or heroin were identified in the tri-border area. Only three were producing heroin. As of August 1 of this year, of the 24 refineries which had been identified, 16 were producing heroin. According to a representative of Thailand's Central Bureau of Narcotics based in Chiang Mai, most refineries are located approximately ten kilometers from the Thai border near Tachilek, Burma, the only sizable town near the tri-border area. He believes that most factories are approximately ten kilometers from the Thai border although probably only a few are located in Thailand. The most likely area is near Fang, where many KMT live. Refineries occasionally are discovered in Bangkok. 6 A considerable amount of opium is grown for local consumption. It is generally assumed that no ethnic Thais are involved in the growing or transportation of the product from its source. Virtually all traders have been identified as ethnic Chinese although some have taken Thai names. The principal convoy route is from Mae Sai, located near the Burma-Thailand border north of Chiang Rai, south along an all-weather highway to Bangkok. Thai military sources state that opium presently is being transported by air into South Vietnam from Huai Sai, Laos and Tachilek, Burma. It is also reported that many shipments of opiates to Vietnam are by civilian couriers on commercial airlines from Vientiane, Laos. Shipments from Thailand Most opiates shipped from Bangkok are transported to Hong Kong, where they are redistributed to South Vietnam, Okinawa, Japan, the United States and other countries. Some shipments go directly from Bangkok to South Vietnam. Four operative "systems" transporting heroin directly to the United States have been identified. One group of ex-servicemen is shipping heroin via army post offices to U.S. military installations. Shipments from this source have been seized at Walter Reed Army Hospital and at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey. Two groups, both consisting of ex-servicemen and contract employees, are located in Okinawa. One has a source in Bangkok, the other in Hong Kong. From Okinawa both groups engage in transportation of heroin by body packs into the United States. A fourth target is Philippine citizens who fly to Geneva via the United States transferring body packs of heroin to sources in this country. In the past, little attention has been given to these persons because of their transient status. Because military officials lack the authority to inspect first class mail at the mailing points, little can be done to retard shipments by mail from U.S. servicemen. U.S. officials are extremely concerned over the implications of the scheduled opening of a new military post office 60 miles east of Chiang Mai at Lampang, the future site of a space tracking station. Approximately 250 Air Force personnel will man the station. The drug abuse problem among U.S. military forces stationed in Thailand On June 24, 1971, the Air Force implemented a comprehensive plan to screen and detoxify military personnel departing Thailand. On July 23rd the rest of the military services followed suit. Like their counterparts in Vietnam, military personnel stationed in Thailand have been instructed not to reveal statistics stemming from the screening of returning service-members. Results of a recent military survey of enlisted men reveal that 4.5 percent admitted heroin use. Approximately 8 percent of first-termers responding to the survey admitted to heroin abuse. Twenty-three percent of all surveyed admitted to the use of some drugs while in Southeast Asia. On July 26, 1971, the Fifth Field Hospital began receiving military drug abusers for detoxification. Between that date and August 10th, 23 patients were admitted to the hospital's detoxification unit. Because the program was initiated only recently, it is not possible to assess its efficacy. U.S. Government activities against drug traffic Representatives of the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs have been stationed in Thailand for several years and enjoy a good |