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By Ned Zeman
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In a remote northern corner of Myanmar near the China border, a new world order is emerging. There, Kachin rebels have battled the Burmese government for three decades. Recently, Chinese officials-alarmed by the influx of opium and heroin from Myanmar-encouraged the Kachin rebels to launch an anti-drug campaign. In response, the guerrillas declared the region opium-free and planted potatoes in many fields where opium poppies once grew. Now the rebels, who are short of weapons for their long-running campaign against the government, are looking for something in return. Local Chinese officials are so pleased with the Kachin opium ban, says one recent visitor, that "they may turn a blind eye to rifles falling off trucks" over the border. The guerrillas are delighted, but the arrangement can hardly please China's friends in the Burmese regime.
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