NEWS - Albright Praises Thai People

[Rangoonp@xxxxxxx]

Subject: NEWS - Albright Praises Thai People for Not Growing Opium

Albright Praises Thai People for Not Growing Opium

               AP
               03-MAR-99

               CHIANG MAI, Thailand (AP) -- Secretary of State Madeleine
               Albright, touring a village whose farmers have switched
from
               raising opium to growing vegetables and flowers, praised
the
               Thai people today for rejecting "the dead end of drugs." 

               And she criticized neighboring Myanmar, also known as
               Burma, for continuing to grow the crop from which heroin
is
               derived in the region known as the "Golden Triangle." 

               The Hong Mai village project, in northern Thailand where
               poor tribes live near the borders of Myanmar and Laos, is
               "improving the living standard of the hill tribes and
               introducing crop substitution," Albright said. "This is
in
               marked contrast to the country of Burma where they are
not
               doing the kinds of things you are doing here." 

               The United States has contributed $1.3 million over the
past
               two years to aid Thailand's drug crop substitution
program,
               which has helped the country reduce its production by 85
               percent over the past 15 years, U.S. officials said. Last
year,
               about 16 metric tons of opium was grown in Thailand,
               covering 1 percent of its farmland. 

               Albright, speaking to several hundred Hmong villagers at
a
               grammar school, gave the children a computer, a printer
and
               soccer balls as well as her anti-drug message. 

               "The message is, we must do all we can to provide
               alternatives to the dead end of drugs," Albright
proclaimed.
               "Here in Nong Hai, you're saying no to narcotics and yes
to
               vegetables and flowers and computers and books." 

               A dozen children, wearing traditional tribal clothes of
black
               dresses decorated by an array of colorful stripes,
performed
               a dance for Albright, who was the first secretary of
state to

               visit the region since just after World War II, she said. 

               Albright, touring the royal-government sponsored project
with
               Prince Bhisadej Rajani, surveyed tables laden with
oversized
               vegetables such as carrots, lettuce, green peppers and
               tomatoes. Red and yellow flowers, their scent lending a
               sweet smell to the village of grass and bamboo huts with
tin
               roofs, decorated the displays as well. 

               "It's so beautiful here," said Albright, wearing a
wide-brimmed
               black hat. 

               Albright spoke with a farmer, who didn't give his name,
and
               told her that he had made 4,000 baht a year, or about
$100,
               from growing opium, but now makes 50,000 baht, or roughly
               $1,300, growing vegetables and flowers instead. 

               "I think that's quite stunning," Albright told the
prince. "It isn't
               as if they're losing money. They're making money from
               vegetables. It's a great story." 

               The prince told her the villagers, whose normal mode of
               transportation is on foot or sometimes on elephant, are
now
               driving cars. "They want to be rich, too," he said. 

               Albright later flew to Bangkok, where she was paying a
               private call on the 71-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej,
               head of state for the kingdom of Thailand and a revered
               figure. On Thursday, she was meeting with Prime Minister
               Chuan Leekpai and Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan before
               heading to Indonesia. 

               Before leaving Chiang Mai for Bangkok, Albright also
visited
               a project run by a non-governmental agency that saves
girls
               and young women from the prostitution trade. 

               Many of those who come to the New Life Center were sold
               into prostitution by their families, who needed the
money,
               sometimes to pay for drugs, or were tricked into the
trade by
               men claiming they would get them work or an education or
               even marry them. 

               Albright praised the program, which began 12 years ago,
for
               giving young girls and women an education and training
               them for new vocations. She said advancing the status of
               women is important for a country's democratic and
economic
               growth. 

               "It's also essential that girls not be exploited and
abused and
               exposed to AIDS," Albright said, speaking with more than
a
               dozen of the center's students, counselors and directors.
"It's
               very important to fight back." 

               Chanpen Promsen, 23, told Albright she came to the center
               as a 10th grade dropout who didn't have a job or much of
a
               future and was vulnerable to exploitation. Now, after six
               months training by the center, she has a job as a diamond
               cutter. 


               "Now I'm making money. I have a job and I can support my
               family as well," she told Albright. She suggested the
program
               should expand to help other young women. "I don't want to
               see more people fall into a bad situation."