TNAG-0414-FCO40-460-Review-of-narcotics-problem-in-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 69

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At a subsequent meeting between the Americans and LAW Sing-hon, the latter handed a copy of Document 'B' attached to the Americans for their consideration. This amounts to LAW's proposals in outline for putting a stop to the illicit traffic in Burmese opium. Also handed to the Americans were two maps of the area under LAW's control, Documents 'C' and 'D' attached, together with a census of the area included at Document 'E'. Documents 'F' and

G' attached are letters exchanged between LAW Sing-hon and his brother LAW Sing-ming who is his deputy, and my informant when the latter was in Thailand. On the large map the shaded area purports to be a part of Burma adjacent to China occupied by the insurgent forces of the Burmese Communists. The large river is the Salween.

5.

The Americans are reported to have made it clear to LAW Sing-hon that they could not engage in any programme of crop sub- stitution, etc., in Burma without the concurrence of the Burmese Government in Rangoon, a Government for which LAW expressed complete contempt declaring that he was 'The Government' in this region. The Americans now are said to be studying the attached documents in Washington. If they decide to proceed further they may contact my informant again with a view to more meetings with LAW Sing-hon.

6.

Why LAW should want to get out of the opium business and have made an approach to the Americans at this period in time is not clear. He is only a young man and maybe sees himself becoming an international outlaw and an embarrassment the Burmese Government may feel obliged to liquidate. He has been pilloried in the press recently and is notorious as one of the world's major opium traffickers. On the other hand, he may have made so much money that he can well afford to get out of the trade and may hope to redeem his character by lining up with the Americans in a campaign to stamp out opium growing and trafficking. Perhaps a combination of both is somewhere near the truth. But before he goes he is astute enough to realise that provision must be made for the future liveli- hood of the opium growers and his troops.

7.

However, LAW's approach is interesting when viewed against the visit of the President of the International Narcotics Control Board (Sir Harry Greenfield) to Burma in August, 1972 and the recent decision of the Burmese Government to admit a United Nations narcotics control team of three. These are Dr. Sten Martens, a Swede and head of the United Nations Division of Narcotic Drugs, Geneva, team leader, Mr. Waclaw Micuta, a Pole - his deputy, and Mr. Henk Teunissen of the Netherlands from the Food and Agriculture Organisation. The Burmese Government by inference at least has made it plain that it prefers European experts to American, being anxious to preserve its neutral status In the light of this progress I would imagine that the Americans will attempt to develop the approach of LAW Sing-hon in some way with a view to achieving a rapprochement between him and the Burmese Government to allow pacification, crop substitution, resettlement and an interdiction of drug trafficking and morphine and heroin manufacture to begin in earnest.

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