Historically known for its rampant growing of opium, these days the Golden Triangle is primarily a massive tourist attraction. Located at the intersection of the Mekong and Ruak Rivers, the Golden Triangle itself provides little other than the view of Myanmar (left in above photo) and Laos (right), endless options to pay for kitschy souvenirs or river boat rides, and an odd assortment of statues that range from a giant Buddha on a ship and elaborate shrines to massive elephant statues and dozens of signs and maps indicating that you are, in fact, at the Golden Triangle.
However odd the glittery bauble of Golden Triangle Park may
be, its original intent was to educate. As part of the late Princess Mother’s efforts
to empower the impoverished hill tribe regions and to end the hold of opium in
Thailand, the Golden Triangle Park was encouraged to blossom into a huge
tourist attraction. The hope was to turn curious tourists into drug opponents.
In this same vein, the Royal Doi Tung Foundation established
the Hall of Opium. Costing $10 million and taking 10 years of research and
planning, the museum first opened its doors in 2005. From ancient uses, through
the East India Company, to the Opium Wars, and straight on up through present
day, the multimedia experience outlines opium use and production throughout 4,000
years of history, as well as documenting the tragedy of drug addiction, its
societal implications, and modern attempts to battle illegal drugs.
Though a bit campy at times, the museum attempts to look honestly at the history of opium production, including the drug’s history in Thailand. Impressively enough, this includes a timeline of things within Thai history like the establishment of opium taxation, legal/licensed opium production, and a breakdown of how much government revenue came from opium (quite a bit), even during times of concerted worldwide efforts to end the opium trade.
Though still burdened by its past as part of the infamous
Golden Triangle, Thailand has demonstrated enormous progress in ridding itself
of the influence of opium. Thailand’s crop replacement programs, spearheaded by
the Doi Tung Foundation and the Royal Project, have been particularly successful.
Fields that once grew poppies, now yield tea, coffee, and macadamia nuts. Farmers
who may have once been drawn to the income of opium have been taught to
cultivate cash crops like decorative flowers, lettuce, apples, peaches, and
herbs.
Obviously, Thailand’s production isn’t at complete zero and
many opium farmers may have simply moved farther afield, pushed into Myanmar
and Laos, historically much more active members of the Golden Triangle opium
trade. The Golden Triangle countries may have given way in global opium
production to Afghanistan, Mexico, and Colombia, but production within SE Asia
is still a major concern. So, while the education about the opium trade may be
less relevant within the borders of Thailand (though by no means irrelevant),
the gaudy, tacky, tourist trap that is Golden Triangle Park holds merit in its
attempts to educate.
*To give credit where credit is due, all photos from inside museum are borrowed, as they do not allow photography inside the Hall of Opium.