THE ENEMY WITHIN: THE DRUG LORDS DESTROYING THAILAND

Local Kingpins Hide Behind 'Nationalism' To Conceal Their Activities While
Contributing To The Destruction Of The State

Drugs are undermining Thai society, yet the core problem is not being
seriously tackled: the use of methamphetamines, or ya ba, has become too
prevalent among Thai youth. What we understand today is that drugs are the
number-one enemy of the state. They are our most immediate threat.

The notion of drugs as the enemy of the state signifies an important change
in Thai nationalism. Historically Burma has represented the real menace to
Thai sovereignty since the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767. Then came communism
during the Cold War. Being "Thai" meant being anti-Burmese and
anti-communist. But the psychological reason behind the construction of
these images of enemies was the fact that Thai nationalism was employed to
legitimise military elites who proclaimed themselves champions of "Thainess".

Today the state says that being "Thai" means being anti-drugs. It claims
the origin of drugs is foreign and thus they are alien to Thai nationhood.
Basically drugs are not "Thai" in that in Buddhism drugs are sinful. Yet
the religious factor fails to explain the sharp rise of narcotics use in
Thailand. In fact four of the eight countries which produce most of the
world's opium are Buddhist: Burma, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

The claim that drugs are "un-Thai" is a plot to externalise the drugs
problem. Externalisation assigns culpability to foreign sources. These
foreign sources are therefore enemies of the Thai nation.

During the civil war in Burma ethnic warlords made profits from drugs to
fight the central government. When Burma proposed cease-fires Thailand
remained sceptical of its peaceful intentions. Burma, long accused of
involvement in the drugs trade, declared that national peace was its
ultimate objective. However, thriving drug production in the warlords'
areas only confirms the fact that just as the war was financed by opium so
is the current peace.

Thailand thus blames both Burma and the ethnic drug barons for its
worsening drugs problem. Khun Sa, also known as Chang Shi-fu, of the Mong
Tai Army was primarily accused of flooding Thailand with drugs. But his
role has faded since he surrendered to the Burmese government in 1996. Now
the Wa and the Kokang are the prime culprits for the increasing domestic
use of ya ba.

Khachadpai Burusapatana, secretary-general of the National Security
Council, asserts: "The most serious threat currently to the Thai nation is
this massive flow of ya ba from the ethnic drug lords; it is more dire than
the military or political threats Thailand has experienced in the past."

Thai officials are attempting to deflect the drugs problem from the
country. Condemning foreign drug traffickers from Europe, Africa and Asia
also solidifies the image of drugs as "un-Thai": Thailand is being
presented as having fallen prey to international drug syndicates.

But the flip side of this Thai nationalism is dark and controversial.
Nationalism is once again arbitrarily used to conceal the ugliness of the
Thai narcotics situation. Thai drug traffickers exploit Thai nationalism to
protect themselves and their illegal businesses. In fact ya ba production
and distribution is innate in Thai society. Some high-ranking government
officials, politicians and military men, self- proclaimed Thai
nationalists, are actively involved in the local drug trade.

These Thai traffickers project themselves as practitioners of nationalistic
values; in reality they blur the picture of themselves as criminals and
emerge as true nationalists who are opposed to drugs.

But the list of Thai politicians allegedly involved in drugs as supplied by
US authorities reminds us of the deep-rooted narcotics problem in Thailand.
The Thai government is reluctant to prosecute members of Parliament
involved in the drug trade since revealing their identities and punishing
them would affect traditional political power structures. More importantly,
it would also puncture the state-created image of Thai nationalism as
"anti-drugs".

The result is that the rule of law has never applied to high-status people.
Not only does that situation encourage them in their drug activities; it
also attests to the fact that Thai nationalism being "anti-drugs" is a
false perception.

There has been a lot of talk about Thai cooperation with Burma and
international organisations on drug eradication: it is a part of the
propaganda regarding Thai nationalism on the international stage. But
connections between Thai drug dealers and ethnic drug lords in Burma remain
strong, as witnessed by the vast amounts of ya ba flowing onto the Thai
market each day.

While claiming to enjoy the enthusiastic cooperation of Burma's Central
Committee for Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC), Thailand is recreating the CCDAC
in its own image: a symbol of national adherence to international norms and
thus a shield that can be held up against attacks on that front while Thai
nationalism is used as a defence on other fronts.

The drugs situation is becoming more convoluted as Thailand continues to
drift down the path of globalisation, presenting itself as a nation capable
of living up to commitments. Meanwhile alienating drugs from Thai society
only highlights the fact that those involved in the drugs trade seek to
hide the reality under the cloak of Thai nationalism.

Official promotion of nationalism within the country has effectively
connected drugs with foreign sources. This nationalism allows the
integration of influential drug traffickers and their illegal business into
one imaginary entity that is above the law.

Burma may partly be responsible for the flow of drugs into Thailand. But
Thais are the most threatening source of drugs. These are indeed the worst
enemies of our nation.