Six more community treatment homes on the Chinese border

Six more community treatment homes on the Chinese border

Drugs

Re: Community-run rehab centers in the north (11 October 2003)

Six more community-run drug rehabilitation homes have sprung up since 7 October when a fifth center was established in the Sino-Burma border area, known as the Mao Valley, which consists of two townships, Muse and Namkham, according to a community elder yesterday (4 November).

“Drug abuse has really become rampant these past few years,” the 45-year old resident of Muse, opposite China’s Ruili said. “According to the survey conducted by the Shan Literature and Culture Society, it is a little over 5,000. But the actual number may run twice as high.” 

Communities are also engaging in their own drug suppression campaign, he added. 

Yesterday at 08:00, 3-known suspects were stopped by the villagers at Hsaykhu village, Namkham township. Two got away but a Jamnaw, 26, male, was caught with 4.15 kg of heroin and 8.5 viss (1 viss = 1.6 kg) of opium). Both the culprit and the drugs seized were handed over to Captain Kyaw Zeya of Military Intelligence Unit #23 through Capt Mao Awng, a Shan State Army “North” representative. “If the villagers turned over the delinquents themselves to the authorities, we were afraid they would be released later,” he explained. “We already had such experience in the past.” 

He claimed that this was the second time in a month when the villagers netted drug runners together with their incriminating possessions. The first time was on 4 September when 1 kg of heroin and 7 viss of opium were seized.