Friday December 17th - Vientiane Times (page 2) and KPL News (page 3) both cover the launch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) survey on opium cultivation in Southeast Asia, which states that opium cultivation has increased by 20 percent this year.
The survey reports a rapid upward trend from the low point of 2006. Laos itself has seen an 85 percent increase in opium cultivation over the past 4-years. There are two main factors given for this rise. The rising prices of opium and poverty, with the global economic crisis said to be playing its role.
I’ve decided to include coverage of this story because it’s an issue that hasn’t featured high on the agenda in the 18-months I have been in Laos. But Laos was once one of the "Golden Triangle" of countries including Myanmar and Thailand, which were the world's major supplier of opium. Covering drug related issues in Laos is sensitive but there does seem to be increasing recognition within the media about drug related problems and associated crime.
In addition it’s interesting to see how opium growing is increasing most amongst the poorer and often more remote communities. Laos is experiencing rapid development, averaging 7.9 percent economic growth over the past 5-years. The real challenge now for the Government and development community is to ensure that there is equitable growth and that everyone benefits. This issue, ‘growth with equity’, is being talked about a lot on the ground. But if these farmers are returning to opium cultivation then it suggests there is still a lot of work to be done.
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