Thailand's highland projects inspire in Afghanistan

Highland development projects initiated in Thailand by the Royal family are setting an example for Afghanistan, a country which is currently facing a great challenge with regard to illicit opium poppy cultivation.

A UN-sponsored international meeting convened in Kabul in July 2002 to discuss anti-narcotic assistance to Afghanistan invited M.R. Disnadda Diakul, Secretary-General of the Mae Fah Luang Foundation and head of the Doi rung Development Project, to talk about the experiences of Doi rung in Thailand. Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai held an inaugural speech at the conference, where he focused on crop substitution as the major challenge ahead.

Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra noted the event in his weekly radio address, where he emphasised that marketing support and processing techniques must be provided to the relevant areas if crop substitution is to be successful. The farmers must have viable alternatives to opium. Prime Minister Thaksin had in a recent meeting with President Bush, Prime Minister Blair and UN Secretary-General Annan taken the opportunity to mention the role played by royal projects in improving the life of northern hilltribe people in Thailand.
Source: Eastern Horizons, UNODC publication, December 2002