Hill farmers swap opium for coffeeDOI TUNG: Somchai Sophonsookpaiboon does not remember much about his younger years, except that they were spent in an opium haze. The Doi Tung Development Project ended opium cultivation in the area and set up a drug rehabilitation centre and social enterprises to generate jobs. Yet they only have secure legal rights to 10%, according to the Washington-based advocacy group Rights and Resources Initiative. Yet the project's benefits are limited, said Nicole Girard, Asia programme coordinator at the UK-based Minority Rights Group International. But for some, the income and stability the Doi Tung project brings comes with a new set of worries.

Source: Bangkok Post November 21, 2019 23:26 UTC