Shwe Phee Myay, May 29
The United Wa State Army (UWSA) has rejected former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s accusations of drug production in its controlled territories, calling the claims “rootless.”
During a May 27 meeting of the committee for monitoring, accelerating, and implementing drug prevention and suppression operations at the Office of the Narcotics Control Board in Bangkok, Thaksin stated that in the past, major drug traffickers operated within Thailand, with drug production roughly split between inside the country and abroad.
However, he remarked that today, most illegal narcotics are produced in Myanmar’s Wa State, which he identified as a major drug production hub, according to Thai media reports.
U Nyi Rang, the UWSA’s Liaison Officer in Lashio, posted on his social media that Thaksin’s statement is merely “a timely move in his political game” and a “rootless accusation.”
“The UWSA isn’t the only group existing along hundreds of miles of borderline. Narcotics aren’t just harmful to us; they’re a common enemy of all mankind. Despite constant efforts to eradicate them, preventing their threats remains incredibly difficult,” he stated.
However, Thaksin urged the current Thai regime, led by his daughter Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, to intensify its anti-drug war against the UWSA. He also revealed that within two months, the foreign affairs minister will meet with representatives from neighboring countries to unite efforts to compel the UWSA to cease drug production.
“If you continue producing drugs, you are an enemy of Thailand. We should show no mercy to our enemies,” Thaksin said.
He added that if the Myanmar regime claims it cannot manage the issue, “we may need to take direct action ourselves.”
The UWSA, one of Myanmar’s most powerful ethnic armed groups, is based on the borders with China and Thailand. Since December, the UWSA and the Thai regime have been in a dispute over border territories.
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