Interview with Jeremy Douglas, Regional Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for Southeast Asia and the Pacific

By MAXMILIAN WECHSLER

• Changes in the drug market the past few years have impacted Thailand as organized crime groups have increased production and diversified into powerful and valuable drugs like crystal methamphetamine and ketamine.

• The expansion of the drug trade has meant a corresponding expansion of money laundering and other related crimes, leading to an explosion of the prison population.  

• The region needs to ask itself why the drug trade continues to expand here, who is behind it or benefiting from it and how they use the region to expand it.

• Thailand is a logistics hub for the Mekong region and a lot of the drugs trafficked into the country are for transit to Malaysia or to places like Australia, New Zealand, Japan or Korea.

• There are a lot of aligned but different businesses that go hand-in-hand with the drug trade, for example casinos which are often in border areas and the trade in chemicals used to produce synthetic drugs.

Besides criminal justice and drug-related matters, his office is focused on non-traditional security threats and issues related to the rule of law and public health. Mr Douglas is also the UNODC liaison to China, Korea, Japan and Mongolia and to regional organisations including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS). He is based at the UNODC’s regional office at the UN building in Bangkok.

By MAXMILIAN WECHSLER

Every day TV stations in Thailand serve up a shocking reminder of how dangerous driving in this country can be with extensive coverage of road accidents in all their gruesome detail.

While it is not clear whether the news channels present the carnage as entertainment or warning to the motorists, there’s no doubt that the relevant authorities need to force motorists to obey traffic laws starting with a drastic increase in the punishment of offenders.

A ​World Health Organization (WHO) report from 2018 put the death toll per 100,000 people at 32.7, making Thai roads the deadliest in Southeast Asia.

Only seven other nations - six in Africa and one in Latin America - had worse numbers than Thailand: Liberia (35.9); Saint Lucia (35.4); Burundi and Zimbabwe (34.7);  Democratic Republic of Congo and Venezuela (33.7); Central African Republic (33.6).

Optimists point out that eighth place is an improvement over recent WHO reports that ranked Thailand No. 1 and No. 3.

With a network of mostly well maintained roads that stretch across 500,000 kms, including some 400,000 km in rural areas, Thailand is an attractive proposition for motorists, truckers and motorcyclists. Maybe this is what tempts people to go into debt with a car loan – even in places like
Bangkok where the roads are more like parking lots much of the time.

Almost anyone can manage payments on a small motorcycle, although in recent years bigger, faster and much more expensive bikes have become common. Motorcycles are a great way to beat traffic, but unfortunately they leave the riders much more vulnerable if something goes wrong.
Police say the main factors contributing to road accidents are drunk driving and a general disregard for safety precautions, causing drivers to commit errors in judgment such as driving too fast, making illegal turns, overtaking in unsafe situations and speeding through traffic lights seconds after they turn red.
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The fourth installment of our 10-part series describing newsworthy events in Thailand over the past 50 years begins with the year 1982.

1982 saw the opening of Central Plaza Lat Phrao shopping complex. The Thai Trade Union Congress was founded and Thammasat University appointed Professor Nongyao Chaise as its first female rector. The Communications Authority of Thailand announced the arrival of a new postal system. 

January
• Thousands of Thai soldiers, police and rangers supported by planes and helicopters converged on the base of drug lord Khun Sa, dubbed the ‘Opium King’, at Ban Hin Taek in Chiang Rai province. The raid followed intelligence reports that a 200-mule opium caravan was sighted near the 
Thai-Burma border. It was the largest operation to date against the drug lord backed by Shan United Army.  

• The old Sunday market near Sanam Luang was replaced by a new weekend market near Chatuchak Park despite numerous protests by vendors against the relocation. The move had been planned since 1978 but was delayed by the protests. In the end a total of 979 vendors moved to the new location and began selling the same goods they had sold at Sanam Luang. Chatuchak Market director Witoonphant Wannachamrae said that the new market was much cleaner than the muddy mess at Sanam Luang.  
   
• In its first prisoner-exchange treaty with another country, Thailand agreed to swap inmates with the United States. The repatriated American prisoners would continue to serve sentences handed down by the Thai courts in the US and be eligible for parole or amnesty as granted by the US judicial system. As for Thai prisoners repatriated from the US, it was reported that they could be freed under an amnesty programme. ​

If you haven’t already got one or more, there’s a good chance you will have seriously considered getting a tattoo. Here’s some good advice from one of Bangkok’s best tattoo studios before taking the plunge and decorating your body for life

​Tattoos were not popular when I was growing up in Canada, but after 15 years in Japan where the massive full-body tattoos popularized by a certain group there first shocked and then awed me, I have come to appreciate how beautiful these creations in ink can be. It’s also made me think it would be neat to get one.

But it did get me wondering why we see so many today, where to get one, if they’re safe, and what design will look great, not only today, but long into the future.

So, I went over to visit two friends at All Day Tattoo to learn more with ten questions in hand.

How long in Thailand? 53 years.

What brought you here? Some people come overland to Thailand. I came overship. Asia was the place to be, all my USAF buddies were here.
Before that? I was on active duty with the USAF 1962-1966, with a further seven years as a reserve in Asia. I was working in Hong Kong 1968-69 as a 29-year-old USAF reserve captain during Mao’s Cultural Revolution.
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First job in Thailand? Within one week of arriving here, I had set up Letter-Ads, a direct mail marketing company.

Today? I’m retired, having closed Letter-Ads 12 years ago.

Where do you live? Sukhumvit 49 in a small condo.

What’s keeping you here? The US is considered the greatest country on earth; Thailand is the most wonderful - great people, excellent food and girls, of course. It’s the lighthouse of Asia.

What have been the high points in your life in Thailand? It’s been one big great time. I’ve never really had to work hard – my all-female staff took care of everything.

Low points? When I was 115kgs. Then I spent time in a temple and got down to 83kgs, my weight today. Also about that time, I also took a hiatus from drinking beer. Something else more recent – my girlfriend left me for ‘a younger guy.’ I asked her how old is he. She said 75.

Has Bangkok changed much over the decades? Every city has its problems, the pollution, traffic, the number of high-rises and Bangkok is no different. The women don’t change, though.

What do you miss? The ‘old days’ have gone. Forget about them. The new old days start today. I don’t care to talk about the ‘good old days.’ All my old mates from the Vietnam era have gone and so have Patpong and the wonderful Napoleon bar.

Attached to the underside of various sections of the BTS Sktrain Sukhumvit line, the SkyWalk offers a great way for pedestrians to get around Bangkok while avoiding the city’s notoriously bad sidewalks.

To date, only about 15% of the Sukhumvit Line boasts a SkyWalk. New sections are being added, albeit slowly, but the project still falls a long way short of the promises made by the former Bangkok Governor in an interview with the BigChilli back in 2010.
“Within a couple of years, you will be able to walk all the way from Siam to Bang Na,” said MR Sukhumbhand Paribatr. The promise of a pedestrian-only alternative to the cracked and busy sidewalks, motorcyclists and vendors below had great appeal to Bangkokians.
Well, that hasn’t happened, and it’s not unreasonable to believe it’s going to be a few more years to achieve that goal. To be fair to the former governor, shortly after that interview he had more pressing problems on his hands when Bangkok experienced one of its worst-ever floods.

Apparently not.
Short term rentals of less than 30 days are illegal in Thailand unless the owner has a license to operate a hotel. Airbnb owners in Thailand do not have licenses to operate hotels. Many large condominium developments have notices posted in the building as a reminder. The notices say people who violate this law will be prosecuted.

Owners of homes and villas may register with the Ministry of Tourism for this exception. If the unit or units pass inspection, the owner can offer them as short-term rentals via Airbnb and through other means. This exception does not apply to condominiums or other multi-unit dwellings. Under the law, a villa is defined as having four units or less.
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One Airbnb host, who owns a three-bedroom house in Bangkok and rents it out for B4,600/night, said renters do not need to worry because they rent a house, not a condo. “I’m renting out an entire home, not a single room,” he said. “I’m the owner of the property and I’m not doing anything to cause trouble to society or anyone around me. But if there’s an actual law enforced, then I’m happy to abide by the law.”