Opium is a scourge to many of Myanmar’s poor communities ravaged by drug addiction, but to the farmers who grow it, it is a living.
The contradiction is highlighted, sometimes violently, by a grassroots movement in northern that has mobilized thousands of men, women and youths to march through the countryside — many dressed in camouflage vests and helmets, as if for battle — on a mission to destroy fields of poppy flowers from which opium and its derivative, heroin, are made.
In this Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016, photo, a member of Pat Jasan, a grassroots organization motivated by their faith to root out the destructive influence of drugs, holds poppies as his group slashes and uproots them from a hillside, in Lung Zar village, northern Kachin State, Myanmar. Opium is a scourge to many of Myanmar’s poor communities ravaged by drug addiction. A movement in northern Kachin State has mobilized thousands to march through the countryside on a mission to destroy fields of poppy flowers from which opium and its derivative, heroin, are made. (AP Photo/Hkun Lat)
Fifteen years ago, drug enforcement authorities in Myanmar announced a plan to eliminate opium by 2014. They achieved a significant reduction, but the decline has stalled in recent years, leaving the country the second-biggest producer after Afghanistan, and forcing the drug-free target date to be pushed back to 2019.
With drug abuse on the rise, especially among young people, activists joined with the Kachin Baptist Convention, the state’s most influential civil institution, to create a loose organization called Pat Jasan to stamp out the drug trade their area. Many Kachin, one of the largest ethnic minorities in Myanmar, are Christian and motivated by their faith to root out drugs.
One group of 1,300 marchers has been hiking through the hills for more than a week. Along the way, they try to convince poppy farmers to destroy their crops, or they fan out into the fields and slash away at the bulb-topped plants with machetes.
Poppy production has flourished in the region due to a power vacuum amid the decades-long conflict between government forces and the Kachin Independence Army, which is pressing for self-determination. In some cases, ethnic minority groups including the Kachin have financed their struggle through the drug trade. Amid the off-and-on fighting, neither side has clamped down on poppy-growing, a key source of income for many farmers who are not happy about Pat Jasan’s crusade.
Violence has erupted along the way. On Thursday, 14 marchers were injured in an attack by unidentified assailants using automatic weapons and hand grenades while they were destroying poppy fields in Wai Maw township. Earlier, the government had stopped the group from proceeding because of the danger of armed farmers.
Last month, a 19-year-old was shot to death by a farmer, and three other Pat Jasan activists were injured by a land mine.
The government has provided a modicum of protection by sending some soldiers or police as escorts, but they fled when the group was attacked on Thursday, said Lum Hkawng, the secretary of the group.
In this Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016, photo, members of Pat Jasan, an organization motivated by their faith to stamp out the destructive influence of drugs, uproot poppy plants in Lung Zar village, northern Kachin State, Myanmar. Opium is a scourge to many of Myanmar’s poor communities ravaged by drug addiction. A grassroots movement in northern Kachin State has mobilized thousands to march through the countryside on a mission to destroy fields of poppy flowers from which opium and its derivative, heroin, are made. (AP Photo/Hkun Lat)
While the drug trade has ruined many lives, the United Nations says surveys show that many villagers depend on the crop to earn a living.
“Opium poppy is cultivated because it provides a means of subsistence in the face of poverty,” Tun Nay Soe of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime office in Yangon said in a statement.
A march last month took activists to Hkam Ju village in Kam Pai Ti sub-township, where poppy farmers told them there was no need to destroy their crop, they would do it themselves — if they were given rice and other food in return. One of the Pat Jasan leaders, Tang Gun, said they didn’t bring rice, but could send them food later if the farmers insisted. The campaign is funded by the Kachin Baptist Convention and donations from local residents.
Later, in Lung Za village, the Pat Jasan members proceeded to slash away at poppy fields.
“All we wanted is to stop poppy production and drug addiction among young people,” said Tang Gun. “We are losing our society and this is why we are campaigning against poppy production.”
In this Friday, Jan. 22, 2016, photo, a leader of Pat Jasan, a grassroots organization motivated by their faith to root out the destructive influence of drugs, plans their opium eradication march in Wai Maw, northern Kachin State, Myanmar. Poppy production has flourished in the region due to a power vacuum amid the decades-long conflict between government forces and the Kachin Independence Army. In some cases, ethnic minority groups including the Kachin have financed their struggle through the drug trade. (AP Photo/Hkun Lat)
In this Friday, Jan. 22, 2016, photo, members of Pat Jasan, a grassroots organization motivated by their faith to root out the destructive influence of drugs, listen to leaders before their opium eradication march in Wai Maw, northern Kachin State, Myanmar. Opium is a scourge to many of Myanmar’s poor communities ravaged by drug addiction. A movement in northern Kachin State has mobilized thousands to march through the countryside on a mission to destroy fields of poppy flowers from which opium and its derivative, heroin, are made. (AP Photo/Hkun Lat)
In this Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016, photo, a member of Pat Jasan, a grassroots organization motivated by their faith to root out the destructive influence of drugs, prays at Wai Maw village at the start of their poppy eradication march in northern Kachin State, Myanmar. With drug abuse on the rise, activists have joined with the Kachin Baptist Convention, the state’s most influential civil institution, to create a loose organization called Pat Jasan to stamp out the drug trade in their area. (AP Photo/Hkun Lat)
In this Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016, photo, members of Pat Jasan, a grassroots organization motivated by their faith to root out the destructive influence of drugs, board trucks at Sheng Ju village at the start their march to destroy poppy fields in northern Kachin State, Myanmar. Poppy production has flourished in the region due to a power vacuum amid the decades-long conflict between government forces and the Kachin Independence Army. In some cases, ethnic minority groups including the Kachin have financed their struggle through the drug trade. (AP Photo/Hkun Lat)
In this Friday, Jan. 29, 2016, photo, members of Pat Jasan, a grassroots organization motivated by their faith to root out the destructive influence of drugs, make camp in Lung Zar village, northern Kachin State, Myanmar. With drug abuse on the rise, activists have joined with the Kachin Baptist Convention, the state’s most influential civil institution, to create a loose organization called Pat Jasan to stamp out the drug trade in their area. (AP Photo/Hkun Lat)
In this Jan. 23, 2016, photo, members of Pat Jasan, a grassroots organization motivated by their faith to root out the destructive influence of drugs, make camp in Lung Zar village, northern Kachin State, Myanmar. With drug abuse on the rise, activists have joined with the Kachin Baptist Convention, the state’s most influential civil institution, to create a loose organization called Pat Jasan to stamp out the drug trade in their area. (AP Photo/Hkun Lat)
In this Jan. 27, 2016, photo, members of Pat Jasan, a grassroots organization motivated by their faith to root out the destructive influence of drugs, hike in Lung Zar village northern Kachin State, Myanmar. Opium is a scourge to many of Myanmar’s poor communities ravaged by drug addiction. A movement in northern Kachin State has mobilized thousands to march through the countryside on a mission to destroy fields of poppy flowers from which opium and its derivative, heroin, are made. (AP Photo/Hkun Lat)
In this Saturday Feb. 1, 2016, photo, women from Pat Jasan, a grassroots organization motivated by their faith to root out the destructive influence of drugs, hike with supplies in Lung Zar village northern Kachin State, Myanmar. Opium is a scourge to many of Myanmar’s poor communities ravaged by drug addiction. A movement in northern Kachin State has mobilized thousands to march through the countryside on a mission to destroy fields of poppy flowers from which opium and its derivative, heroin, are made. (AP Photo/Hkun Lat)
In this Sunday Jan. 24, 2016, photo, poppy farmers negotiate with a leader of Pat Jasan, a grassroots organization rooting out the destructive influence of drugs, to prevent their poppy fields from being destroyed in Hkam Ju village, northern Kachin State, Myanmar. Opium is a scourge to many of Myanmar’s poor communities ravaged by drug addiction, but to the farmers who grow it, it is a living. On their marches Pat Jasan activists try to convince poppy farmers to destroy their crops, and sometimes the encounters turn violent. (AP Photo/Hkun Lat)
In this Jan. 31, 2016, photo, 32-year old Bawm Lang, a member of Pat Jasan injured in an ambush by poppy farmers, poses for a photo in Myitkyna, northern Kachin State, Myanmar. Opium is a scourge to many of Myanmar’s poor communities ravaged by drug addiction, but to the farmers who grow it, it is a living. On their marches the Pat Jasan activists try to convince poppy farmers to destroy their crops, and sometimes the encounters turn violent. (AP Photo/Hkun Lat)
In this Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016, photo, a member of Pat Jasan, a grassroots organization motivated by their faith to root out the destructive influence of drugs, receives Holy Communion at Lung Zar village, northern Kachin State, Myanmar. With drug abuse on the rise, activists have joined with the Kachin Baptist Convention, the state’s most influential civil institution, to create a loose organization called Pat Jasan to stamp out the drug trade in their area. (AP Photo/Hkun Lat)
In this Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016, photo, a Myanmar soldier stands guard as members of Pat Jasan, an organization motivated by their faith to stamp out the destructive influence of drugs, uproot poppy plants in a field in Lone Zar village, northern Kachin State, Myanmar. On their marches, Pat Jasan activists try to convince poppy farmers to destroy their crops, with some encounters turning violent. The Myanmar government has provided some protection by sending some soldiers as escorts. (AP Photo/Hkun Lat)
In this Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016, photo, members of Pat Jasan, an organization motivated by their faith to root out the destructive influence of drugs, use machetes to destroy poppies in a field in Lung Zar village, northern Kachin State, Myanmar. Opium is a scourge to many of Myanmar’s poor communities ravaged by drug addiction. A grassroots movement in northern Kachin State has mobilized thousands to march through the countryside on a mission to destroy fields of poppy flowers from which opium and its derivative, heroin, are made. (AP Photo/Hkun Lat)
In this Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016, photo, members of Pat Jasan, an organization motivated by their faith to root out the destructive influence of drugs, destroy poppies on a hill in Lung Zar village, northern Kachin State, Myanmar. Opium is a scourge to many of Myanmar’s poor communities ravaged by drug addiction. The Pat Jasan in northern Kachin State has mobilized thousands to march through the countryside on a mission to destroy fields of poppy flowers from which opium and its derivative, heroin, are made. (AP Photo/Hkun Lat)
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