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Wa relocations resume
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Wa relocations resume
As the total ban of poppies in the Wa region near the Chinese border on 26 June 2005 draws to a close, the annual relocations to the southern areas along the Thai border have recommenced, writes King Cobra from the Chiangmai border:
Some 2,000 people, most of whom speak only Chinese, were being resettled in Mongton township, across Chiangmai's Chiangdao district, between 15 December - 1 January.
| Date of Arrival | Place of Arrival | # of 10-wheel trucks |
| 15-22 December 2004 | Mongjawd | 20 |
| 25-27 December 2004 | Namyoom | 12 |
| 30 December 2004 - 1 January 2005 | Nawng Yahsai, west of Monghang | 22 |
| Total | 54 |
Each truck hauls approximately 35-40 passengers.
"The newcomers bring interpreters along when they come to buy things in the village," explained a local shopkeeper. "We were told to expect more of them coming in the next few months."
The settlers include both elderly people and children as young as 2-3 months old.
According to Unsettling Moves: The Wa forced resettlement program in Eastern Shan State (2002), the joint Rangoon-Panghsang program has already relocated more than 125,000 people along the areas adjoining Thailand since 1999. Official figures run between 50,000 - 60,000. The Wa leadership has already announced that the target figure is 100,000.
Related report: Wa reinforces border command, 4 January 2004
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