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NDTV
28-05-2025
- NDTV
NDTV Ground Report: Drugs At Centre Of China's 'Three Warfares' Strategy
Athisa Koso is in her 50s and has a ready smile and watchful eyes. Mother to nine, her hands are full but she, like other mothers in the North East, has learnt to constantly watch her children closely in silence, looking for changes in behaviour, which would give her a clue as to whether they were in "bad company". Koso says she had a dream one night. "In the dream, I saw my son taking Number 4," she told NDTV. Number 4 is street parlance for heroin in Dimapur, Nagaland. Advertisement - Scroll to continue She began to watch her son and his friends. She found that he would hang out with people older than his age and even followed them a few times. Over time her suspicions were confirmed. Koso decided to take matters into her own hands. "I insisted that he had to be home for dinner with the family and for evening prayers," she said. "With a mother's love, I made him tell me the truth and then sent him to a rehabilitation centre for deaddiction," she said. Her son has returned home now and is rid of the drug habit. But the mother continues to watch over him like a hawk. Every home in the middle class neighbourhood has a drug user, she tells NDTV. "Every family here is suffering. There is an emotional burden on everyone, but also a financial one." This is the biggest impact of China's debilitating Three Warfares strategy - pumping drugs into India's North East to weaken and destroy the fabric of society. Drug rehabilitation centres are a dime a dozen in the North Eastern states. Children are hooked to a variety of easily available drugs by the time they reach Class 7. The source of these drugs? Armed insurgent groups like the National Socialist Council of Nagaland - Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) and the Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA), which bring drugs in from Myanmar and China for sale in India. Thanks to the 2023 Manipur violence and the subsequent high security in the state, the point of entry of drugs has shifted from Moreh in Manipur to Mizoram. Official records show the deep root taken by narcotic drugs in the North Eastern states. Source: Narcotics Control Bureau Annual Report 2023-24 Rise Of Myanmar In The Global Drug Trade With China's Backing With the Taliban banning illicit cultivation of poppy and opium in 2023, Myanmar has now emerged as the world's largest cultivator of opium. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Myanmar's opium production was twice that of Afghanistan in 2024. Over 45,000 hectares of land in Myanmar are under poppy cultivation. From poppy comes heroin and brown sugar. This is the notorious Golden Triangle or the Death Triangle - an area where Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos meet. This is a hub of global trade in narcotics. A vast majority of drugs find its way into India through the north-eastern states. The Chinese fund and support Myanmar's military junta. The junta in turn hire Nagaland-based and armed insurgent groups, like the NSCN IM and ZRA, to fight on their behalf and provide protection to poppy fields. Photo Credit: Credit: UNODC The ZRA, in particular, manages poppy fields in Myanmar's Chin and Shan areas. They also fight other rebel groups that oppose the ruling military junta. Since the democratic National Unity Government was displaced by a coup in 2021, the military junta has controlled most of Myanmar under the name of State Administration Council or SAC. Rebel groups of armed fighters sprang up and formed alliances to counter the armed violence unleashed by the SAC. One of these rebel groups fighting against the military junta in Myanmar is the Chin National Army. This group has trained its guns on the ZRA, which they claim is destroying Myanmarese society by encouraging poppy cultivation. The Chin National Army has captured many areas and set fire to poppy fields which the ZRA protects. When NDTV reached out to the pro-democracy Chin National Army, the spokesperson stated, "ZRA works and collaborates with SAC. The ZRA stayed together with SAC in Tedim and Tonzang townships. Last year, we captured SAC camps in Tonzang and Cikha. ZRA attempted to retake Tonzang township from us." The spokesperson went on to add, "Yes, it is true that there is extensive poppy cultivation in these areas since long ago. Myanmar army, ZRA and some IIGS (Indian insurgent groups) from Manipur collected taxes from the farmers." The Human Cost Of Drugs In the 1970s, heroin flowed freely from Myanmar into India. Users would smoke the opiate. By the 1980s, heroin began to be injected. Marijuana too began to flood the Indian market. In the 1990s, painkillers like Spasmo-Proxyvon or SP - flooded the North East. Users would powder these tablets, dilute them and inject them. Sharing of needles resulted in a large-scale HIV/AIDS epidemic. At the beginning of the new millennium, pharmaceutical companies had changed the formulation of SP - it could no longer be diluted and injected. Methamphetamines called YABA or WY - World is Yours - became the next rage. Since 2020, the most popular choice of drug is Shanflower - a low quality drug made of heroin - which can be chased (sniffed) or injected. It is called SF in local parlance. This drug is devastating in its addictive properties. 95 per cent of SF addicts who undergo rehab, relapse, according to state government statistics. At the Shalom Rehabilitation Centre in Dimapur, young boys attempt to recover from the effect of Shanflower, YABA and alcohol. "I started using drugs at the age of 17," said James, a recovering addict. "I am now 21. Initially, I started with friends. I used drugs once or twice a week at first. I did not get satisfaction, so I started fixing (injecting). My brother told me not to get into this or my life would get destroyed. But I didn't listen. My mental, physical health began to deteriorate. My education was lost. I stopped studying. It led me to stealing my own family's money. All the negative things I had never done before my addiction days, which I never thought I would do one day, I have done under the influence of this drug," he lamented. Another recovering drug user Jacob explained how Shanflower is sold. "This is a container in which we get drugs. Shanflower drug is sold in a tobacco container. It costs Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000. There are two sides to this container. This will last for a maximum of two days, depending on the user," he said. Photo Credit: Sandhya Ravishankar A resident counsellor at the rehabilitation centre explained the horrors of withdrawals. "First, there will be tremors. Then joint pains. Most alcoholics hallucinate for a few days. But physically they are very down - both drug addicts as well as alcoholics," said Nikheni Hriiyikho Anthony, Counsellor at the Shalom Rehabilitation Centre, which is run by the Roman Catholic Church. Photo Credit: Sandhya Ravishankar Father Joseph Mariadhas who runs the centre and has worked with drug addicts for over three decades told NDTV that the situation was dire. "Shanflower has taken deep root here. It is very alarming. In every family there are at least 1 or 2 people who are into substance abuse. It is not about rural or urban, this drug is everywhere and it is very alarming. It is high time to make some interventions," he said. Photo Credit: Credit: Sandhya Ravishankar Lack of stringent action to stop the flow of narcotics into North Eastern states would lead to China winning the unconventional war on India. Share
NDTV
25-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
NDTV Ground Report: Extortion Part Of China's Unconventional War On India
Extortion, armed violence and drugs - this is the deadly trio used by China to wage its unconventional war against India, using armed insurgent groups that it has funded for decades. In some states in the northeast region, families live in debilitating fear - their children are at constant risk of either getting recruited into an armed insurgent group or of becoming drug addicts. Up to 22 per cent of the salaries of state government employees is deducted at the disbursal offices - this is an unofficial "sovereignty tax" imposed by armed insurgent groups like the National Socialist Council of Nagaland - Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) and the Zomi Revolutionary Army (ZRA). The administration has bent over to keep the peace as these groups, armed with sophisticated Chinese-made weapons like AK 47s and rocket launchers, wield sway over most of the northeastern part of the country. "Even the state government has been paying taxes to some of the bigger groups," said KK Sema, a retired IAS officer who spearheaded a movement against Nagaland's "sovereignty tax". "Development funds come to the department. That department is told to pay 5-6 per cent to the groups from the headquarters itself. The money is then disbursed to the field, the field officers and contractors are also taxed. The state government will deny this. The state government employees are paying 22 per cent of their salary. This is being deducted at the disbursement office before it is paid to them. The disbursement officer would negotiate with the armed groups to reduce the 22 per cent to 10-12 per cent and the remaining amount would be paid to the government employee," he said. Everyone and everything is "taxed" by these armed groups. From vegetables and small businesses, to trucks and farm produce, groups like the NSCN-IM and the ZRA get a cut from all trades and commodities. The NSCN-IM's "Budget" NDTV got exclusive access to the NSCN-IM's "Budget" for fiscal year 2025-26. The amounts are staggering as they are a record of extortion of the people of Nagaland. This armed insurgent group plans to raise over Rs 158 crore in what they call "sovereignty tax", a fancy term for extortion. Everything from food items to fuel to construction materials is "taxed". Small shop owners too have to pay the NSCN-IM cadre. They cough up, staring at the barrel of a gun. Smuggling of cheap betelnut from Myanmar into India is also rife and provides a hefty sum for funding these armed insurgent groups. In this fiscal year, the NSCN-IM plans to raise Rs 2 crore from betelnut alone. Most of this betelnut from Myanmar heads to the factories of gutkha makers, according to highly placed sources. This fuels yet another illegal economy. As a result of this wanton extortion, the prices of goods and food in Nagaland can rise sharply without warning. "Because of the insurgency, there were many factions which were going out and taxing people. There is absolutely no reason for prices to rise. In the morning, a kilogram of tomatoes would cost Rs 30 and in the evening, it would cost Rs 60 without any real reason," Mr Sema explained. "Civil society started questioning why this price rise was happening. A few of us got together and sent out a group of youngsters to find out what was happening in the markets. They found that each commodity was being taxed in the market. They call it the 'sovereignty tax. It is called tax. But it is nothing but extortion," he added. Top sources told NDTV in confidence that a section of the local police and administration too actively aid these armed insurgent groups. Take for instance, the current Chairman of the Zomi Council, the mother organisation of the ZRA - Vumsuan Naulak. A retired Intelligence Bureau officer, he can be seen in this photograph awarding a child soldier at an undisclosed location in the Chin State of Myanmar. The Assam Rifles and a section of the state police are attempting to control the influence of these violent groups. On May 16, the Assam Rifles neutralised 10 cadres of an unnamed group and recovered seven AK-47 rifles, one RPG launcher, one M4 rifle and four single-barrel breech-loading rifles. They also found ammunition and war-like stores in Chandel district of Manipur, along the India-Myanmar Border. The Dimapur Police have stepped up efforts to file cases of extortion - 58 cases were filed between January 2024 and April 2025. 81 arrests were made and 78 weapons - from Chinese made AK 47s to Israeli Uzis - were seized. Special Operation Teams have also been set up to provide rapid action in cases of extortion. Police sources also told NDTV that Ikato Chishi Swu, son of one of the late founders of NSCN-IM Isak Chishi Swu, is currently in China. He had released a letter in April stating that he was quitting the NSCN-IM and would head to Myanmar to "continue the struggle" as the NSCN-IM had become a "corrupt" organisation. But flush with Chinese funding and sophisticated arms, these groups recruit more youth and the deadly cycle of violence continues unabated. Share
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Officials release update on dire situation at world's largest man-made lake: 'This trend is projected to continue'
Officials provided a desperately needed positive update on the world's largest human-made lake, Lake Kariba, and the nearby Zambezi River. Bulawayo24 News reported the lake and the river are returning to healthier water levels following the carnage of a devastating drought fueled by El Niño. Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) chief executive engineer Munyaradzi Munodawafa said the levels "have been gradually rising," which was "primarily attributed to intensified rainfall activity on and around the lake." Between January 13 and February 2, flows at Chavuma Gauging Station doubled. The improvements might accelerate if more runoff occurs when the ground becomes oversaturated. This is welcome news, as the low water levels at Lake Kariba in 2024 came with a slew of destructive consequences for local residents. The AP reported much of Zambia faced an electricity crisis for months as the hydroelectric power generated by the Kariba Dam was unable to function. Only one of six turbines was able to operate, leaving power generation at a mere 10% of normal levels. Considering 80% of Zambia's power comes from the dam, that had a hugely detrimental impact on the economy. Making matters worse, the drought hit agriculture in Southern Africa, increasing hunger and starvation concerns. The African Wildlife Foundation said the havoc wreaked by El Niño on the continent should "remind us of the interconnectedness of our global climate system and the urgent need for coordinated action." These developments drive home the reality that while Africa contributes little to the climate crisis, it disproportionately bears the consequences. This is also apparent in the rise of mosquito-borne illnesses on the continent spurred by a shifting climate. Meanwhile, there is a concerning lack of investment. The UN revealed that the continent receives just 1% of global climate funding while losing up to 5% of production amid rising temperatures. How often do you worry about the quality of your drinking water? Never Sometimes Often Always Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. For residents relying on Lake Kariba, water levels remain lower than at the same point in 2024. Still, Munodawafa sounded an encouraging note for the future, indicating that things are moving in the right direction for more water availability and recovery for the region. "This trend is projected to continue as we approach the end of the first quarter of 2025," he said. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
