TNAG-0415-FCO40-461-Review-of-narcotics-problem-in-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 76

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Recommendations

1. The United States should put more diplomatic pressure on Lon- don to support narcotics enforcement efforts in Hong Kong.

2. The Hong Kong BNDD operation should be strengthened and made a part of the Southeast Asian region or made the regional headquarters.

3. Hong Kong should do more to reduce its own addict population so that it won't attract a flow of drugs. The decision to cut back on the rehabilitative programs goes in the opposite direction.

4. More regional cooperation is needed. Hong Kong should have its own agents in Southeast Asia. Hong Kong remains aloof from the Southeast Asian nations that are the sources of drugs.

5. The cooperation of the People's Republic of China should be sought in preventing the use of its coasts for unloading the shipments of opium from Thailand.

THAILAND

We arrived in Bangkok on January 26, spent January 27 in Chiang Mai, and departed January 28.

Our schedule consisted of the following:

1. Bangkok:

(a) Briefings by Deputy Chief of Mission, Edward E. Martin, BNDD Regional Director, Fred Dick and BNDD agent Paul Brown.

(b) Accompanied BNDD and Thai agents inspecting, harbor leading points, trawlers, and port area, for smuggling in and near Bangkok harbor.

2. Chiang Mai:

(a) Briefings by James Montgomery, Counsel, Dick Mann, U.N. official and Robert Brewer. BNDD agent.

(b) Meeting with Ambassador Unger.

(c) Visit to Meo village of Chiang Kieu, in mountains north of Chiang Mai.

(d) Overflight of Northwestern Thai opium production areas and trails.

(e) meeting with Maj. Gen. Shukiat Suraphibul and Colonel Kusol of the Special Narcotics Organization (SNO) program. (f) Meeting with "X", leader of Thai anti-corruption group. In Thailand, opium is illegally produced and refined into heroin and transshipped to Thailand from Burina, and both opium and heroin are transshipped from Thailand to Hong Kong and Laos. Thailand is a vital cog in the Southeast Asia drug chain as it serves as the major transshipment area for most of the opium produced in the "Golden Triangle".

Production

Even though opium cultivation and smoking were declared illegal in 1959, ethnic tribesmen in northwest Thailand along the Burma and Laos borders produce an estimated 150-200 tons of opium annually.

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