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"WORKING TOGETHER"
The Office of the Narcotics Control Board has named M.R. Disnadda Diskul, secretary general of the Mae Fah Luang Foundation, as an outstanding person for his efforts to solve drug problems on parts of the border between Thailand and Myanmar. The citation did not come easily, as only those considered sincere and completely dedicated to eradicating these problems that take such a heavy toll on society are given the honour. The anti-drug campaign got underway when Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra held negotiations with General Khin Nyunt of Myanmar in September 2001. Thailand agreed to help Myanmar eradicate addictive drugs with a contribution of 20 million baht. The prime minister assigned responsibility to the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) to provide the 20 million baht, while that office and a committee drawn from other work units travelled to Myanmar to investigate problems and needs affecting minority groups there. The group learned that the Burmese minority communities wanted to see their towns and villages improved by development and were eager for new information on agriculture and raising livestock. After learning of these needs, the Thai government gave consideration to which organisation would be most capable of helping to fulfil them, and decided on the Mae Fah Luang Foundation, which had long experience in this type of work. At the same time, the Burmese government announced that the place they had selected to be helped by the Thais was the town of Yong Kha. The fact that the terrain of the area where the foundation works is high and mountainous like that of the part of Myanmar around Yong Kha also encouraged the Thai government to approach them to assist with the project. These preparations all took place during 2001. The Office of the Narcotics Control Board gave the 20 million baht to the foundation to manage at their own discretion. This arrangement was more convenient, they felt, than having it remain in government hands with the foundation having to request funds each time money was required for their work. In addition to his post as secretary general of the Mae Fah Luang Foundation, M.R. Disnadda Diskul is also the chairman of the Doi Tung Development Project. Although the foundation's project in Myanmar was originally called the Yong Kha Development Project, it has since become known as Doi Tung Development Project II. In 2002, the project got underway in Yong Kha with the creation of an irrigation system. A canal more than 20 kilometres long was built to make water available all year round to more than 2,000 rai of farm land. Planning for this aspect of the project was done by experts from the Irrigation Department. Weirs were made to provide water to each household by means of a system of pipes. Here traditional local technology was employed with the pipes being made of bamboo, so that they were both inexpensive and easy to maintain. One of the project's most important undertakings was the construction of a 16-bed hospital. The Burmese government provided medicines, medical equipment and a staff of doctors and nurses. Thailand took responsibility for construction and also participated in medical staffing, with Thai and Burmese doctors working together to vaccinate local people against tuberculosis and polio. To promote the improvement of agriculture, the project brought in seeds for the minority community farmers to cultivate, including both short-, medium- and long-term crops. A seed bank and a livestock bank were also established. Pigs, chickens and geese were brought in to breed, and once their numbers had increased they were distributed to villagers to raise. A school was also set up conforming to Thai academic standards but with the curriculum taught in Burmese, Chinese and English. In addition to their classroom studies, students at the school learn how to raise crops and to breed livestock and fish. These are all things that have already been accomplished. They are aimed at improving health care, alleviating poverty and improving education. Additional plans and projects will extend from them and the good things that result from them. Police General Chidchai Vanasatidya, the secretary general of the ONCB, expressed his satisfaction with the results so far. "Everything has been successful," he said. "This success comes from the experience of the Mae Fah Luang Foundation and of M.R. Disnadda, who transformed Doi Tung from an expanse of opium poppy fields to farmland producing temperate zone crops that generate income for the hilltribe people who live there. "M.R. Disnadda occupies a neutral position that inspires trust in the Burmese. He isn't a Thai civil servant, and he is a straightforward, experienced man with a spotless background who is also an excellent administrator. With that kind of a trusting relationship communication becomes easier. "In the past when dealing with this problem we relied on the method of seizing large quantities of drugs. We never used protective methods. "Protection can be achieved by making our neighbours feel happy and contented. If some of their poverty can be alleviated, they won't grow opium. If we can help our neighbours and make them feel more comfortable, these problems won't arise. When we show honest intentions, our neighbours will trust us and in the future low-level officials will be able to go back and forth and discuss things more easily. "The results that the foundation and M.R. Disnadda have achieved are worth far more than the money that has been invested in the project, because the foundation knows how to derive the maximum value from the funds they use," Police General Chidchai said. "The plants that Doi Tung is promoting for cultivation there include short-term crops like soybeans. There is a strong demand for soybeans in Thailand, so there is no need for us to hesitate to buy them. In this way the two countries support each other, and points to a happy future for the relationship between Thailand and Myanmar." Persuasive reasons, indeed, to bestow the outstanding person honour on M.R. Disnadda Diskul. Article by Suthon Sukphisit
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