The Golden Triangle : Inside Southeast Asia's Drug Trade

295 Pages·2009·1.981 MB·English

by  Ko-lin Chin

THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE

THE GOLDEN
TRIANGLE
Inside Southeast Asia’s Drug Trade
KO- LIN CHIN
Cornell University Press
Ithaca and London
Copyright © 2009 by Cornell University
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this
book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form
without permission in writing from the publisher. For information,
address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street,
Ithaca, New York 14850.
First published 2009 by Cornell University Press
First printing, Cornell Paperbacks, 2009
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Chin, Ko-lin.
The Golden Triangle : inside Southeast Asia’s drug trade/
Ko-lin Chin.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8014-4666-5 (cloth : alk.paper) — ISBN 978-0-8014-
7521-4 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Drug traffi c—Burma—Shan State. 2. Drug traffi c—Golden
Triangle (Southeast Asia) 3. Wa (Burmese people)—
Commerce. I. Title
HV5840.B93C55 2009
363.4509591—dc22 2008036071
Cornell University Press strives to use environmentally responsible
suppliers and materials to the fullest extent possible in the publish-
ing of its books. Such materials include vegetable- based, low- VOC
inks and a cid-f ree papers that are recycled, totally c hlorine-f ree, or
partly composed of nonwood fi bers. For further information, visit
our website at www .cornellpress .cornell .edu .
Cloth printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Paperback printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For my parents
and
In memory of my grandmother and Wei Xiang

Contents
Ac know ledg ments ix
Introduction: Into the Thick of It 1
1. The Golden Triangle and Burma 8
2. The Wa 17
3. The Opium Trade 47
4. Heroin Production and Traffi cking 86
5. The Methamphetamine Business 127
6. Drug Use 155
7. Drug Control 187
8. The Business and Politics of Drugs 220
Appendix: Names in Pinyin Romanization
and Other Spellings 243
Notes 245
Bibliography 259
Index 275

Ac know ledg ments
Many people have contributed to this research project and I very much
appreciate their assistance and support. First and foremost, I would like to
thank Larry Chung, executive director of the International Foundation
for the Peaceful Elimination of Opium Crops. Without Larry’s relentless
efforts in helping me overcome a variety of obstacles along the way, this
project would never have been initiated or completed.
A courageous woman in northern Thailand and an equally stalwart
man in southwest China assisted me on the occasions when I was trying to
clandestinely cross the border into the Wa area of Burma. They also aided
me in locating key in for mants to be interviewed in the border areas. They
took great risks in helping me, and I can never thank them enough for
their assistance. I can only thank them anonymously because their identi-
ties should not be revealed.
I would also like to thank all the people who played a key role in help-
ing me collect data in the Wa area. I am most grateful to members of my
research team: Wei Xiang, Chen Wei, Chen Lifan, Ai Ying, Wei Xiaolan,
Zhao Liqing (Yixi), Xiao Qinghong, Li Xiuqiong, and Ting Xiao. I was
fortunate to have recruited an exceptional group of interviewers and re-
search assistants who were not only completely dedicated to the project
but w ere pleasant companions and fun to work with. Two weeks after