TRYING TO WEAN BURMA OFF DRUGS

The special negotiator of the United Nations has made his sixth trip to
Burma in a little more than a year. Razali Ismail once again talked with
military dictators and democrats. But when he left, Burma was still under
the thumb of the military. That bodes badly for the Burmese, now in their
40th year of rule by harsh military autocrats. But it continues to threaten
neighbours as well. As long as the Rangoon dictatorship is not accountable
to the Burmese, it is accountable to no one.

The visits of Mr Razali raised some optimism when they began last year. The
National League for Democracy of Aung San Suu Kyi suspended its political
attacks on the military junta. In exchange, the generals talked with Mrs
Suu Kyi and other NLD leaders. The military rulers have released more than
200 of the 1,500 leading political prisoners. Not only is the substance of
the talks unknown, the public has not even been told if the discussions
have touched on substance.

The point of these talks must be to come up with a formula which will bring
a democratic regime to power in Rangoon. The people of Burma elected such a
regime 11 years ago. But Mrs Suu Kyi was kept under house arrest and the
generals never allowed the NLD to take the power they won at the polls. On
the face of it, nothing has changed in 11 years. Mrs Suu Kyi is still under
house arrest and the military still holds power by harsh, sometimes violent
means. So far, through 14 months of alternating optimism and pessimism, Mr
Razali has made no visible progress.

Until Burma gets a government that is accountable to its people, it seems
the military will continue its oppressive and dangerous policies which
threaten Burmese and their neighbours. The worst of these continues to be
the growing, institutionalised drug dealing. The powerful Wa drug cartel of
northern Burma continues to expand and refine its extensive heroin and
methamphetamine industries.

The damage caused by the drug trafficking has been massive. On a single day
last week, Thai authorities broke up a massive heroin ring in Bangkok,
intercepted a major methamphetamine shipment in Chiang Rai, and tracked
down another huge drug shipment after a high-speed chase on the Chon Buri
motorway. Three dealers died in two shootouts. All three of these
multi-million-baht operations began inside Burma. Aside from the violence,
the drug deals represented more money than the recent 3,000 tonnes of rice
the Thai people gave to Afghan refugees.

Thailand has taken a brave new step against international drug trafficking
by Burma. In an attempt to stir the Rangoon authorities, Thailand is to
finance a crop substitution project. It will cost taxpayers 20 million
baht, at the start. It aims to encourage farmers to find profitable crops
instead of opium. The model, obviously, is northern Thailand, a world
success story in such substitution.

Crop substitution is necessary to wean Burmese off drugs and into
activities in tune with their neighbours and the rest of the world. Still,
the project announced earlier this month by PM's Office Minister Thammarak
Issarangkul na Ayutthaya is a gamble. International drug trafficking is
tolerated by the Rangoon authorities. Some say they encourage the
trafficking. In any case, they are in a position to sink the crop
substitution project in a number of ways.

That is why Thai officials must be certain to watch this experiment
carefully, and report honestly on how it is working _ or not working. The
project is not a magic formula to change the Burmese drug cartels. Much
more will have to be done. That is why it is also vital to press the
military junta to talk responsibly with the UN and Mrs Suu Kyi. Burma must
have a government that is accountable for its actions.