Inside South East Asia’s Criminal Empire

In this video, Crisis Group's Senior Adviser for Myanmar Richard Horsey discusses organised crime in South East Asia's Golden Triangle.

Myanmar’s Shan State and northern Laos’ Bokeo province have become a contiguous zone of vibrant criminality, much of it beyond the reach of state authorities. The Mekong river, which bisects the zone, is also an axis of geopolitical competition, complicating efforts to combat organised crime.

The sheer size of illicit businesses, which dwarf the legal economies of both Shan State and northern Laos, means that they have an enormous local impact, entrenching corruption, weakening governance institutions and damaging community bonds in both these areas. The effects ripple throughout the region and beyond.

Though geopolitical competition between the U.S. and China may get in the way, a coordinated regional approach to addressing criminality should be a top political priority. In addition to intelligence sharing and joint law enforcement operations, interested governments should work together to address underlying governance and socio-economic issues.

Read the full report here: https://www.crisisgroup.org/asia/sout...

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