US embassy cable - 05CHIANGMAI182

C O N F I D E N T I A L CHIANG MAI 000182 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  7/28/2015 
TAGS: SCUL, SNAR, PGOV, TH 
SUBJECT: HALL OF OPIUM SERVES AS EDUCATIONAL, TOURIST, RESEARCH CENTER IN GOLDEN TRIANGLE 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Bea Camp, Consul General, Chiang Mai, Dept of State. 
REASON: 1.4 (d) 
 
1. (u) Summary.  Two years after greeting its first visitors, Thailand's Hall of Opium opened officially July 6 in a formal 
ceremony presided over by Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn.   The 
60,000 square-foot museum, beautifully situated in the rural hills of the infamous Golden Triangle, averages 70,000 visitors 
per year.   End summary 
 
2. (u) The $10 million Hall of Opium museum, located in Chiang Saen where Thailand, Burma and Laos meet along the Mekong River, is a sprawling, ambitious project.  Conceived as an educational and research center, the Hall also serves as a tribute to the King's late mother and her efforts to wean the Golden Triangle away from opium growing and use. 
 
3. (u) The museum is under the direction of the Doi Tung Development Project of the Mae Fah Luang Foundation, established in 1988 by the Princess Mother to promote sustainable development for hill tribe people, whose livelihood depended on 
opium growing and slash and burn cultivation.   The museum's 
stated aim is to educate the public on the effects narcotics pose to the national economy and society as well as to the 
people's physical and mental well being.    During the first 
year of operations over half of all visitors were students brought from Chiang Rai and Phrae on special programs.  During the second year about 25-30% of visitors were students. 
 
4. (sbu)  The Mae Fah Luang Foundation delayed the official ceremony for two years in the hope that the King would himself 
grace the opening in honor of his late mother.   According to 
Foundation Director MR (Mom Ratchawong) Disnadda Disikul, the King's health prevented his attendance.  The royal interest was spelled out in the invitation, which referred to the Crown Prince as "His Majesty's Representative". 
 
5.  (c)  The Crown Prince conducted the religious opening ceremony on July 6 with dutiful stiffness, followed by a 15-minute foray into the first three rooms accompanied by officials, diplomats, and the Prince's uniformed poodle. The brief tour ended in "The First 5,000 Years" hall when MR Disnadda politely offered the opportunity to turn around and exit through the entrance. 
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Involvement by Japan, China 
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6. (sbu)  Funding for initial construction of the massive museum, built into a hillside, was provided by the Japanese Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund through the Tourism Authority 
of Thailand.   China's Ministry of Culture provided significant 
assistance as well, ensuring a Chinese perspective on the historical period during which "the most powerful military and economic powers forced their trade on China~" while "an insular and increasingly corrupt, rigid, and weak Manchu regime attempted to maintain its tenuous control over a widespread empire."  American official involvement has been minimal, although a Bangkok-resident American academic has been centrally 
involved from the beginning.    The U.S. is represented most 
visibly by a large reproduction of the DEA seal and selections from old documentaries that discuss CIA involvement in the drug trade of Southeast Asia. 
 
7. (u) Future plans include an exhibit highlighting the King's work on opium substitution and a cooperative exhibition with the Bangkok regional UN Office on Drugs and Crime on Amphetamine Type Stimulants (ATS).  Museum officials have indicated they would be interested in working with U.S. Government agencies on further development of the project. 
 
8. (sbu)  Comment:  In light of the museum's ambitious aim to become an educational center for youth as well as a research center for South East Asia on opium, opiates and other narcotics, the first two years' attendance figures are 
disappointing.    The relative remoteness of the museum makes it 
inaccessible for most tourists while the attempt to be both entertaining and educational leaves visitors with no clear exit message. Nevertheless, the stunning layout, variety of exhibits, and lovely setting make the Hall of Opium a memorable stop in northern Thailand.