History of Opium in South-East Asia

Discussion Open Forum
1

Noticed this comment in Arrested in Thailand:

[quote=“wudjamahuh”][quote=“Chewycorns”]

The country was ruled so much better under the British.[/quote]

why? was it because the British government forced opium upon the people of southeast Asia instead of outlawing it, [/quote]

Surely “the French” and “the USA” ? (but that wasn’t until later?) I know the British were busy feeding Chinese (and English) opium addicts in the 19th Century, but “the people of southeast Asia” ? Who ? When ? The Burmese ?

I thought the majority of India and Burmese opium went to England and the US.

Any more info on opium consumption in SEA ? I’ve had a look at various websites but they all tend to deal with China and the trade with India. I already know a fair bit about that, but I can’t get any concrete info on SEA. All the sites refer to “South-East Asia”, but don’t break it down further.

Any good websites on the history of opium production and sales in SEA that don’t deal with SEA as just an afterthought ?

(currently trying to give up smoking:( , hence the interest in addiction-related stuff… )

From PBS: (pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline … story.html)

Early 1940’s
During World War II, opium trade routes are blocked and the flow of opium from India and Persia is cut off. Fearful of losing their opium monopoly, the French encourage Hmong farmers to expand their opium production.

1945-1947
Burma gains its independence from Britain at the end of World War II. Opium cultivation and trade flourishes in the Shan states.

1950’s
U.S. efforts to contain the spread of Communism in Asia involves forging alliances with tribes and warlords inhabiting the areas of the Golden Triangle, (an expanse covering Laos, Thailand and Burma), thus providing accessibility and protection along the southeast border of China. In order to maintain their relationship with the warlords while continuing to fund the struggle against communism, the U.S. and France supply the drug warlords and their armies with ammunition, arms and air transport for the production and sale of opium. The result: an explosion in the availability and illegal flow of heroin into the United States and into the hands of drug dealers and addicts.

1962
Burma outlaws opium.

1965-1970
U.S. involvement in Vietnam is blamed for the surge in illegal heroin being smuggled into the States. To aid U.S. allies, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) sets up a charter airline, Air America, to transport raw opium from Burma and Laos. As well, some of the opium would be transported to Marseille by Corsican gangsters to be refined into heroin and shipped to the U.S via the French connection. The number of heroin addicts in the U.S. reaches an estimated 750,000.

2

[quote=“hexuan”]
1965-1970
U.S. involvement in Vietnam is blamed for the surge in illegal heroin being smuggled into the States. To aid U.S. allies, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) sets up a charter airline, Air America, to transport raw opium from Burma and Laos…[/quote]

:loco: … :wanker:…:wanker:…:unamused:…and I bet you are right there with Maxine Waters condemming he mean Ol’ US Gov’t for smuggling crack into the ghetto…LOL…geez…whatever happened to discriminating research into a subject.

Has the educational system really deteriorated to such an extent that crap like this is used as a resource in rational discourse?

3

The British brought opium to Malaya (Malaysia) during the 17th-18th centuries.

Here’s a website with some Burmese opium history Opium Trade and Environment and Laos and Myanamar Opium

4

Additional Opium history resources…

  1. Encyclopedia of Modern Asia - Geography and Opium by Pierre-Arnaud Chouvy
  2. Hall of Opium at Golden Triangle Park
  3. Extract from: LEE G.Y. “The Effects of Development Measures on the Socio-economy of the White Hmong”. Ph. D. Thesis. Dept. of Anthropology, University of Sydney, 1981.

TainanCowboy, hexuan was quoting from the PBS Frontline show about opium…

5

[quote=“TainanCowboy”][quote=“hexuan”]
1965-1970
U.S. involvement in Vietnam is blamed for the surge in illegal heroin being smuggled into the States. To aid U.S. allies, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) sets up a charter airline, Air America, to transport raw opium from Burma and Laos…[/quote]

:loco: … :wanker:…:wanker:…:unamused:…and I bet you are right there with Maxine Waters condemming he mean Ol’ US Gov’t for smuggling crack into the ghetto…LOL…geez…whatever happened to discriminating research into a subject.

Has the educational system really deteriorated to such an extent that crap like this is used as a resource in rational discourse?[/quote]

TainanCowboy:

I posted that to show the poor quality of material available on the net so that I wouldn’t be presented with selective and biased sources of information. It is from the PBS website, which appears to style itself as a “teaching resource” (presumably for US schools?). Perhaps I should have made it clearer that it was a quote. I have no axe to grind about drugs or British imperialism.

lsieh:

Thanks, I’ll have a look at those.

6

[quote=“Alfred W. McCoy”]During the 19th century, Southeast Asia experienced a confluence of socio-economic forces. . . that expanded its total opium trade and the degree of European dominance. . . . No mere vice, opium became a major factor in Southeast Asia’s economic growth . . . .In many parts of 19th century Southeast Asia, the opium franchises were integral to the rise of overseas Chinese capital. . . . . In 1881 . . . the French . . . established . . . a direct state marketing monopoly [in Indochina] that showed greater profitability. By century’s turn, every Southeast Asian state, from Burma to the Philippines, had either an opium monopoly or an officially licensed franchise. . . .

. . . In 1905-1906 . . . opium sales provided 16 percent of taxes for French Indochina, 16 percent for the Netherlands Indies, 20 percent for Siam, and 53 percent for British Malaya. Despite heavy opium consumption, Southeast Asia did not become a significant opium producer until the 1950s, a full century after China.[/quote]
a1b2c3.com/drugs/opi010.htm

The above is attributed on the webpage to Dr. McCoy, Professor of History, University of Wisconsin. Dr. McCoy has apparently written quite a bit on Southeast Asia, the drug trade, and the CIA’s role in it. Please see wisc.edu/ctrseasia/People/Alfred%20McCoy.htm

In fact, he had apparently written enough by 1972 to attract the notice of the CIA. Please see nybooks.com/articles/article … e_id=10079

7

[quote=“hexuan”][quote=“TainanCowboy”][quote=“hexuan”]
1965-1970
U.S. involvement in Vietnam is blamed for the surge in illegal heroin being smuggled into the States. To aid U.S. allies, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) sets up a charter airline, Air America, to transport raw opium from Burma and Laos…[/quote]

:loco: … :wanker:…:wanker:…:unamused:…and I bet you are right there with Maxine Waters condemming he mean Ol’ US Gov’t for smuggling crack into the ghetto…LOL…geez…whatever happened to discriminating research into a subject.

Has the educational system really deteriorated to such an extent that crap like this is used as a resource in rational discourse?[/quote]

TainanCowboy:

I posted that to show the poor quality of material available on the net so that I wouldn’t be presented with selective and biased sources of information. It is from the PBS website, which appears to style itself as a “teaching resource” (presumably for US schools?). Perhaps I should have made it clearer that it was a quote. I have no axe to grind about drugs or British imperialism…[/quote]

Hexuan - Thanks for the clarification. PBS is most definitely not the place to find the ‘total’ story.
Perhaps my leap was a bit broad in painting you with the same brush as the looney left-wing wack jobs who would continue to foist this load of steaming dung on people.

Glad to learn that you are not among this cabal.

8

Hexuan,

When I worked with the Hmong(Meo) Hilltribes, I read quite a bit about their historical involvement with the CIA and drug trafficing. Try doing a search on General Vang Pao he was the Commander of Hmong troops which grew much of the opium supposedly shipped by the CIA. You could also do a search on a General Tuan Shi-wen he was in charge of the KMT forces forced into the Shan States of Burma and Mae Salong in Northern Thailand. He was also supposed to have been CIA backed and that essentially kicked off the Golden Triangle poppy growing region later taken over by Khun Sa.

You could also do research into USAID and a character called Pop Dual (Dool) I forget. He was the point person and field officer for USAID in Laos at the time of the ‘Secret War’.He is the man credited with galvenzing Hmong tribes to support the US efforts against the lowland Lao.

9

Cheers. Will do. Quite interested to find out about the very earliest origins of opium in SE Asia. The site above are quite informative, but not that comprehensive. Guess I might even have to (shock horror!) buy a book on the subject.

10

Or of course for drug trafficing and the US government we need go no further than Richard Armitage.

11

There is a book on the subject. It’s referenced in Sterling Seagrave’s ‘Lords of the Rim’, but I lent that to someone, so can’t tell you the name right now.

Brian

12

Hexuan,
I have Bertil Lintner’s brilliant “Burma in Revolt: Opium and Insurgency Since 1948”. Despite the title, the book gives some background info for origins of opium in S.E. Asia.
One of the interesting things is that Thai King Rama II banned the sale and use of opium back in 1822. At that time the users were mostly Chinese immigrants. Under British pressure, King Mongkut (of “the King and I” fame) legalized it in the 1850s.

Hex, It would be easier for me to lend it to you than type the details up.

Hope your battle with the demon weed is going well. I’ve heard that the secret is to stop drinking at the same time. :wink: