Keep Us Strong WikiLeaks logo

Currently released so far... 97115 / 251,287

Articles

Browse latest releases

Browse by creation date

Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
ETRD EAGR ETTC EAID ECON EFIN ECIN EINV ELAB EAIR ENRG EPET EWWT ECPS EIND EMIN ELTN EC ETMIN EUC EZ ET ELECTIONS ENVR EU EUN EG EINT ER ECONOMICS ES EMS ENIV EEB EN ECE ECOSOC EK ENVIRONMENT EFIS EI EWT ENGRD ECPSN EXIM EIAD ERIN ECPC EDEV ENGY ECTRD EPA ESTH ECCT EINVECON ENGR ERTD EUR EAP EWWC ELTD EL EXIMOPIC EXTERNAL ETRDEC ESCAP ECO EGAD ELNT ECONOMIC ENV ETRN EIAR EUMEM ENRGPARMOTRASENVKGHGPGOVECONTSPLEAID EREL ECOM ECONETRDEAGRJA ETCC ETRG ECONOMY EMED ETR ENERG EITC EFINOECD EURM EENG ERA EXPORT ENRD ECONEINVETRDEFINELABETRDKTDBPGOVOPIC EGEN EBRD EVIN ETRAD ECOWAS EFTA ECONETRDBESPAR EGOVSY EPIN EID ECONENRG EDRC ESENV ETT EB ENER ELTNSNAR ECHEVARRIA ETRC EPIT EDUC ESA EFI ENRGY ESCI EE EAIDXMXAXBXFFR EETC ECIP EIAID EIVN EBEXP ESTN EING EGOV ETRA EPETEIND ELAN ETRDGK EAIDRW ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS EPEC ENVI ELN EAG EPCS EPRT EPTED ETRB EUM EAIDS EFIC EFINECONEAIDUNGAGM EAIDAR ESF EIDN ELAM EDU EV EAIDAF ECN EDA EXBS EINTECPS ENRGTRGYETRDBEXPBTIOSZ EPREL EAC EINVEFIN ETA EAGER EINDIR ECA ECLAC ELAP EITI EUCOM ECONEFINETRDPGOVEAGRPTERKTFNKCRMEAID EARG ELDIN EINVKSCA ENNP EFINECONCS EFINTS ECCP ETC EAIRASECCASCID EINN ETRP EAIDNI EFQ ECOQKPKO EGPHUM EBUD ECONEINVEFINPGOVIZ ENERGY ELB EINDETRD EMI ECONEFIN EIB EURN ETRDEINVTINTCS EIN EFIM ETIO ELAINE EMN EATO EWTR EIPR EINVETC ETTD ETDR EIQ ECONCS EPPD ENRGIZ EISL ESPINOSA ELEC EAIG ESLCO EUREM ENTG ERD EINVECONSENVCSJA EEPET EUNCH ECINECONCS ETRO ETRDECONWTOCS ECUN EFND EPECO EAIRECONRP ERGR ETRDPGOV ECPN ENRGMO EPWR EET EAIS EAGRE EDUARDO EAGRRP EAIDPHUMPRELUG EICN ECONQH EVN EGHG ELBR EINF EAIDHO EENV ETEX ERNG ED
KMDR KPAO KPKO KJUS KCRM KGHG KFRD KWMN KDEM KTFN KHIV KGIC KIDE KSCA KNNP KHUM KIPR KSUM KISL KIRF KCOR KRCM KPAL KWBG KN KS KOMC KSEP KFLU KPWR KTIA KSEO KMPI KHLS KICC KSTH KMCA KVPR KPRM KE KU KZ KFLO KSAF KTIP KTEX KBCT KOCI KOLY KOR KAWC KACT KUNR KTDB KSTC KLIG KSKN KNN KCFE KCIP KGHA KHDP KPOW KUNC KDRL KV KPREL KCRS KPOL KRVC KRIM KGIT KWIR KT KIRC KOMO KRFD KUWAIT KG KFIN KSCI KTFIN KFTN KGOV KPRV KSAC KGIV KCRIM KPIR KSOC KBIO KW KGLB KMWN KPO KFSC KSEAO KSTCPL KSI KPRP KREC KFPC KUNH KCSA KMRS KNDP KR KICCPUR KPPAO KCSY KTBT KCIS KNEP KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KNNB KGCC KINR KPOP KMFO KENV KNAR KVIR KDRG KDMR KFCE KNAO KDEN KGCN KICA KIMMITT KMCC KLFU KMSG KSEC KUM KCUL KMNP KSMT KCOM KOMCSG KSPR KPMI KRAD KIND KCRP KAUST KWAWC KTER KCHG KRDP KPAS KITA KTSC KPAOPREL KWGB KIRP KJUST KMIG KLAB KTFR KSEI KSTT KAPO KSTS KLSO KWNN KPOA KHSA KNPP KPAONZ KBTS KWWW KY KJRE KPAOKMDRKE KCRCM KSCS KWMNCI KESO KWUN KPLS KIIP KEDEM KPAOY KRIF KGICKS KREF KTRD KFRDSOCIRO KTAO KJU KWMNPHUMPRELKPAOZW KEN KO KNEI KEMR KKIV KEAI KWAC KRCIM KWCI KFIU KWIC KCORR KOMS KNNO KPAI KBWG KTTB KTBD KTIALG KILS KFEM KTDM KESS KNUC KPA KOMCCO KCEM KRCS KWBGSY KNPPIS KNNPMNUC KWN KERG KLTN KALM KCCP KSUMPHUM KREL KGH KLIP KTLA KAWK KWMM KVRP KVRC KAID KSLG KDEMK KX KIF KNPR KCFC KFTFN KTFM KPDD KCERS KMOC KDEMAF KMEPI KEMS KDRM KEPREL KBTR KEDU KNP KIRL KNNR KMPT KISLPINR KTPN KA KJUSTH KPIN KDEV KTDD KAKA KFRP KWNM KTSD KINL KJUSKUNR KWWMN KECF KWBC KPRO KVBL KOM KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG KEDM KFLD KLPM KRGY KNNF KICR KIFR KM KWMNCS KAWS KLAP KPAK KDDG KCGC KID KNSD KMPF KPFO KDP KCMR KRMS KNPT KNNNP KTIAPARM KDTB KNUP KPGOV KNAP KNNC KUK KSRE KREISLER KIVP KQ KTIAEUN KPALAOIS KRM KISLAO KWM KFLOA
PHUM PINR PTER PGOV PREL PREF PL PM PHSA PE PARM PINS PK PUNE PO PALESTINIAN PU PBTS PROP PTBS POL POLI PA PGOVZI POLMIL POLITICAL PARTIES POLM PD POLITICS POLICY PAS PMIL PINT PNAT PV PKO PPOL PERSONS PING PBIO PH PETR PARMS PRES PCON PETERS PRELBR PT PLAB PP PAK PDEM PKPA PSOCI PF PLO PTERM PJUS PSOE PELOSI PROPERTY PGOVPREL PARP PRL PNIR PHUMKPAL PG PREZ PGIC PBOV PAO PKK PROV PHSAK PHUMPREL PROTECTION PGOVBL PSI PRELPK PGOVENRG PUM PRELKPKO PATTY PSOC PRIVATIZATION PRELSP PGOVEAIDUKNOSWGMHUCANLLHFRSPITNZ PMIG PREC PAIGH PROG PSHA PARK PETER POG PHUS PPREL PS PTERPREL PRELPGOV POV PKPO PGOVECON POUS PGOVPRELPHUMPREFSMIGELABEAIDKCRMKWMN PWBG PMAR PREM PAR PNR PRELPGOVEAIDECONEINVBEXPSCULOIIPBTIO PARMIR PGOVGM PHUH PARTM PN PRE PTE PY POLUN PPEL PDOV PGOVSOCI PIRF PGOVPM PBST PRELEVU PGOR PBTSRU PRM PRELKPAOIZ PGVO PERL PGOC PAGR PMIN PHUMR PVIP PPD PGV PRAM PINL PKPAL PTERE PGOF PINO PHAS PODC PRHUM PHUMA PREO PPA PEPFAR PGO PRGOV PAC PRESL PORG PKFK PEPR PRELP PREFA PNG PGOVPHUMKPAO PRELECON PINOCHET PFOR PGOVLO PHUMBA PRELC PREK PHUME PHJM POLINT PGOVPZ PGOVKCRM PGOVE PHALANAGE PARTY PECON PEACE PROCESS PLN PRELSW PAHO PEDRO PRELA PASS PPAO PGPV PNUM PCUL PGGV PSA PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA PGIV PRFE POGOV PEL PBT PAMQ PINF PSEPC POSTS PHUMPGOV PVOV PHSAPREL PROLIFERATION PENA PRELTBIOBA PIN PRELL PGOVPTER PHAM PHYTRP PTEL PTERPGOV PHARM PROTESTS PRELAF PKBL PRELKPAO PKNP PARMP PHUML PFOV PERM PUOS PRELGOV PHUMPTER PARAGRAPH PERURENA PBTSEWWT PCI PETROL PINSO PINSCE PQL PEREZ PBS

Browse by classification

Community resources

courage is contagious

Viewing cable 07VIENTIANE800, SIGNIFICANT HEROIN ADDICTION EMERGES IN LAOS FOR

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs

Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
  • The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
  • The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
  • The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.

Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #07VIENTIANE800.
Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
07VIENTIANE800 2007-10-29 10:52 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Vientiane
VZCZCXRO1821
RR RUEHCHI
DE RUEHVN #0800/01 3021052
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 291052Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY VIENTIANE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1610
INFO RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 7527
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 2206
RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI 2886
RUEHCHI/AMCONSUL CHIANG MAI 0598
RUEHVI/AMEMBASSY VIENNA 0019
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 VIENTIANE 000800 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR INL/AAE - BOULDIN 
DEPT ALSO FOR INL/C/CJ - BROWNE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KHIV LA SNAR SOCI UNCRIME
SUBJECT: SIGNIFICANT HEROIN ADDICTION EMERGES IN LAOS FOR 
THE FIRST TIME 
 
 
1. (U) Summary:  Heroin abuse has not been encountered among 
the Laotian people in the past, but so far in 2007, the 
principal Lao national drug abuse treatment center at 
Somsanga has admitted more than 50 acknowledged heroin 
addicts, at least seven of whom admitted to current injecting 
drug use.  Almost all of the newly-discovered heroin addicts 
came from a few villages in the same mountainous region of 
Houaphan Province, adjacent to the border with Vietnam, and 
the majority were Lao-Hmong.  Addicts reported being 
introduced to heroin by Hmong dealers from Vietnam.  Most 
reported having shared needles and/or using needles scavenged 
from medical clinic waste; most female addicts were also 
involved to some extent in commercial sex.  UNODC and Lao 
authorities have begun an urgent survey to try to determine 
the full extent of this new aspect of illegal drug abuse. 
The capacity of Somsanga treatment center, already 
overburdened with methamphetamine and opium addicts, is 
stretched very thin by this new group, and the few qualified 
Lao drug abuse treatment professionals have no real 
experience in dealing with heroin addiction.  This 
substantial increase in injecting drug abuse also greatly 
enhances the risk of more extensive transmission of HIV/AIDS, 
hepatitis, and other blood-borne and sexually transmitted 
diseases in this country.  Action requested:  Request that 
INL/C/CJ seek to identify a US expert with experience in 
heroin abuse treatment, preferably in the environment of a 
least-developed country, whom USG could offer for short-term 
expert consultation with Lao drug abuse treatment 
specialists.  End Summary. 
 
3. (U) Prior to 2007, heroin abuse was encountered very 
rarely among the people of Laos.  Abuse of unprocessed opium 
was very common, especially among ethnic minorities such as 
Hmong, Mien, and Akha in remote highland areas, who grew 
opium for both sale and autoconsumption.  Abuse of 
methamphetamines, as reported in Embassy Vientiane INCSRs in 
the past several years, has reached epidemic proportions. 
However, abuse of opiates in the refined form of heroin was 
very rarely seen.  The few heroin addiction cases admitted to 
the main GOL drug abuse treatment center at Somsagna, near 
Vientiane, were generally Chinese or Vietnamese immigrants. 
There have been a number of heroin overdoses involving 
foreign tourists, several of which have been fatal because of 
the high purity of heroin available in the region.  However, 
heroin addicts who were Lao nationals (both ethnic Lao and 
ethnic minority groups) had not previously been reported. 
 
4. (U) During 2007, this changed dramatically, with admission 
of at least 56 admitted heroin addicts since the beginning of 
the year to the Somsagna treatment center alone.  Most of 
this new cohort arrived at Somsagna as part of three lots of 
drug abusers moved there by Lao authorities by truck from 
Houaphan Province, on the border with Vietnam.  (Note: 
Houaphan in the 1990's was one of the major poppy growing 
regions in Laos, and was the location of the first INL-funded 
Lao-American poppy reduction project, which operated there 
for ten years beginning in 1989.  At that time, the province 
had a long history of large-scale opium abuse, but no 
reported incidence of heroin addiction at all.)  The first 
such group consisted of 22 addicts who arrived in May, the 
second of 42 addicts arrived in August and the third, with 37 
addicts, on September 20.  Fifty-one of the 101 patients who 
arrived in these three movements were addicted to heroin; at 
least seven admitted to recent injecting drug use.  (NAS 
officers observed apparently-fresh needle marks on arms or 
legs of several females and at least one male who 
participated in detailed interviews.) 
 
5. (U) On October 2, NAS Director and staff accompanied UNODC 
Laos Country Rep and staff members, along with the Acting 
Deputy Chairman of Lao National Commission on Drug Control 
and Supervision (LCDC) to Somsanga to discuss this new group 
with treatment center staff, and to interview some of the 
newly-arrived heroin addicts.  During initial discussion with 
Somsagna Director and staff, the Director emphasized both the 
extent to which these new arrivals had strained his 
already-overburdened treatment capacity, and the fact that 
the existing staff at Somsanga had no experience in dealing 
with the addiction syndrome exhibited by heroin abusers, 
which differs markedly from that of opium or methamphetamines 
users, with which his staff were familiar.  The Director 
noted that before arrival of these most recent groups, he had 
already been dealing with a patient population of over six 
hundred, and he had only three qualified drug abuse 
counselors to work with them all. 
 
VIENTIANE 00000800  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
6. (U) Interviews with the 51 recently-arrived heroin addicts 
from Houaphan by UNODC and Somsanga staff found an age range 
of 26 to 55 years.  All were members of the Hmong ethnic 
minority.  (Comment: Interviews with addicts for the most 
part had to be translated from Hmong to Lao for the entire 
visiting group, and then into English.  End comment.)  Most 
claimed their primary occupation as upland subsistence 
farmers, in Xieng Kor, Sao Bao and Van Vieng districts of 
Houaphan Province.  Ten of the group were female.  All of 
those interviewed reported having used, or being addicted to, 
opium before having been introduced to heroin. 
 
7. (U) In these interviews, addicts reported an "alarming" 
extent of heroin addiction, speaking of several villages in 
Houaphan Province in which every family has at least one 
heroin addict in the house.  In most villages, according to 
those interviewed, addicts go to the houses of dealers and 
buy drugs freely there.  Reportedly, in such villages, 
injecting drugs is not seen as behavior that should be 
concealed, although most residents are aware that the 
practice should not be seen by district or provincial 
authorities.  According to those interviewed, opium was still 
cheap enough two years ago to be the commonest form of abuse. 
 When heroin was found, it was typically used for smoking 
("chasing the dragon", in vernacular phrase).  However, when 
the price of unprocessed opium began to rise as its 
availability diminished, Vietnamese Hmong dealers encouraged 
opium users to switch to heroin and taught them how to inject 
heroin intravenously to increase its impact.  (Comment: 
According to these addicts, the average cost in their region 
of heroin for a day is about 25,000 kip, or not quite three 
U.S. dollars.  Opium, which is normally smoked two or three 
times per day, can now cost several times that much for each 
use, where one heroin injection per day is enough for most 
users.  Those interviewed said this relative economic 
advantage of using heroin was emphasized by the dealers 
selling it.  End Comment.) 
 
8. (U) Addicts, including those interviewed with NAS officers 
attending, reported that, generally, heroin addicts in such 
villages used syringes or needles scavenged from waste at 
local health centers or hospitals or needles that had been 
used and discarded by other users.  Most addicts made some 
minimal attempt to clean such needles by wiping them with 
alcohol before re-using them.  Some addicts reported a 
practice of injecting water from water pipes used by other 
persons to smoke heroin.  (Comment:  As UNODC observed, these 
practices, along with the number of female addicts involved 
in commercial sex, may lead to a significant increase in 
HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, or other blood-borne or 
sexually-transmitted diseases.  End Comment.) 
 
9. (U) Most of the heroin addicts admitted to Somsagna this 
year, as noted above, have been Hmong from Houaphan Province, 
and most have previously used opium for lesser or greater 
periods.  However, UNODC reported interviewing one young 
female heroin addict from Luang Prabang who described a group 
of 13 young people, none with any previous history of opium 
use, all of whom had taken up heroin use for recreation.  Dr. 
Khamnoan Hsam, drug demand reduction consultant to UNODC 
Laos, told Acting NAS Director October 17 that UNODC and LCDC 
have initiated an urgent survey effort in Houaphan and nearby 
areas in an attempt to better define the actual extent and 
scope of this new problem of heroin addiction.  She said, 
however, that even without having completed this survey, the 
number of Lao-Hmong heroin addicts newly admitted at Somsanga 
within the past six months and the reports they had provided 
of the extent of visible heroin addiction in the areas they 
came from led her to conclude that heroin abuse is already 
established as a significant new aspect of the overall 
problem of illegal drug abuse among both ethnic Lao and 
ethnic minorities in Laos. 
 
10. (U) ACTION REQUESTED:  NAS Vientiane requests that 
INL/C/CJ attempt to identify an expert with experience in 
treatment of heroin abuse, particularly in socio-economic 
context (and within the treatment capabilities) of a 
least-developed country.  If the UNODC-LCDC survey confirms 
that heroin abuse already exists as a significant new problem 
in Laos, as appears at this point likely, NAS would like to 
be in a position to promptly offer LCDC the earliest possible 
opportunity to consult in Laos with a qualified expert in 
heroin addiction in order to begin to more effectively define 
and implement treatment protocols and practices appropriate 
 
VIENTIANE 00000800  003 OF 003 
 
 
to this emerging heroin addition problem. 
HUSO