From Opium to Methamphetamines The Nine Lives of the Drug Industry in Southeast Asia Wolfgang Sachsenröder
Political Party Forum Southeast Asia, Singapore
Key Features •
he main research lacuna in the literature on drugs in Southeast sia is a comprehensive and comparative assessment o their detrimental e ects during 200 ears o drug histor . he anal sis o their economic and political implications or the region toda can contribute to a be er understanding o persisting shortcomings and possibl help to improve the ongoing drug control e orts • he anal sis covers the SE member states e cept runei arussalam • he historical perspective seeks to identi the crossroad points where developments went in the wrong direction • he book compares the national, regional, and international anti drug e orts and the penal codes supporting them
Description Southeast Asia is one of the biggest marketplaces for illicit drugs. he international s ndicates with their billion dollar profits are similar to the H dra o the old Greek m tholog which grew two new heads i one was cut o . Hercules eventuall killed the monster with the help o his nephew who cauterised the resh wounds be ore new heads could emerge. his stor describes uite well the challenging task or the political and police e orts to fight the narcotics industr which has a long histor in sia. rom the earl 800s, the East ndia Compan dumped ndian opium on China and ruined the econom o both countries. uring the colonial he da s, ritain in ala a and urma, rance in ndochina, and the etherlands in toda s ndonesia, financed big parts o their colonial budgets with opium. n the 20th centur , heroin ruined countless lives in Southeast sia and in the West. oda , s nthetic drugs, especiall methamphetamines, are produced in hidden laboratories in remote areas o the region and smuggled across the porous borders. rug prevention programs and the harsh penalties in all SE states have not reduced the drug trade and the consumption. n the contrar , both are growing. his book anal ses the detrimental impact o the drug industr on the political econom and the social developments in Southeast sia. Shortcomings and lasting damages can be traced in the political structures, in the rampant corruption, and the secretive links between customs, armies, police organisations, and organised crime.
Author Dr Wolfgang Sachsenröder is an independent researcher and author, ocusing on political developments in Southeast sia. He studied Political Science, odern Histor , and Public Law at onn Universit , German . He worked or close to thirt ears as a political advisor in Southeast sia ( 986 997), the iddle East, and Southern Europe. er retiring in German , he returned to Singapore and oined the SE S uso shak nstitute. s a political science practitioner he published two comparative books on Southeast sian politics and numerous articles in German , as well as anal tical comments in his blog www.part orumseasia.orgs.
World Scientific Publishing (UK) Ltd, 57 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9HE, UK t. +44 (0)207 8360 888 | e. sales@wspc.co.uk | www.worldscientific.com
May 2022 £70 | HARDCOVER 978-981-124-723-1
Imprint: World Scientific Publishing Compan Extent: 200pp Type:
onograph
Main Subject: Asian Studies Sub-Subjects: sian Politics Societ sian Economies sian Histor nternational elations aritime Studies Political Science Polic Studies Public Polic Social ssues Human Securit Keywords: rugs rug rade llicit rugs rug Production pium Heroin pioid Crisis, ethamphetamines Cr stal eth ce aba Shabu Gan a Cannabis arihuana ritish East ndia Compan utch East ndia Compan rench ndochina ritish a ritish ndia, utch East ndia st ndochina War 2nd ndochina War ietnam War K Chiang Kai Shek aiwan Secret rm King ongkut Khun Sa live ang Casinos Cambodia Laos, anmar urma ala sia Readership: Students, teachers and researchers interested in the histor o the illicit drug trade in Southeast sia. his volume ma also be o interest to law ers, politicians and other pro essionals with a similar interest