Patrick Meehan
I work in the Department of Development Studies at SOAS and lead the Myanmar research on the Drugs & (dis)order project. I research conflict and development with a particular focus on Southeast Asia.
Location United Kingdom
Activity
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The case study that follows on drug harms in Myanmar and the local social movement that has mobilised in response to worsening drug issues may help to address this query. It highlights the damage caused by worsening drug issues. The aim of the case study here is to highlight the violence and damage caused by policies implemented as part of the War on Drugs. In...
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Patrick Meehan replied to Mel Deo
There is a powerful narrative in parts of Myanmar where there is ongoing civil war that the willingness of the country's government to turn a blind-eye to the drug trade is part of an intentional strategy to target local populations, especially youth. Such claims are very hard to prove and there are many different factors shaping why worsening levels of drug...
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Patrick Meehan replied to Mel Deo
This is a very interesting discussion. The Myanmar Army has used impunity as a way to try to encourage various organisations in the country's borderlands - whether ceasefire armed groups or local militias - to ally with the Army rather than to challenge it. This is the case not only in the drug trade, but also in many other parts of the economy (for example...
