US Drug War Policy in Laos has had a devestating effect on the Akha and other mountain peoples in Laos, forcing them to relocate, nearly 65,000 peoples, and the elimination of opium, what these people survive on for money.
The result has been the death of up to 4% of the relocated population, thousands, by starvation and disease.
See full reports at http://www.akha.org
Critics of the policy in Laos say that the US Govt basically just doesn't give a damn.
Everything is about money, for the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and the US.
But what is hard to figure, is what benefit there is in this for the US?
US business is not all that big a player in these northern regions. Yet they fund a road to Thailand from China and other such projects that are reaking havoc on isolated populations unable to cope with the rapid changes and intrusions.
Still unable to clean up all the bombs they left, the US Govt. is making another mess in Laos.