History of opiates detailed at Golden Triangle’s Hall of Opium Museum

Opium pipes

A multi-million dollar museum in the sleepy village of Baan Sop Ruak is providing an in-depth look at the history of the area’s association with opium.

The Hall of Opium, opened to the public in October 2003 was a joint collaboration between the Mae Fah Luang Foundation and the Tourism Authority of Thailand with construction funding by the Japanese government.

Poppy Flowers

The museum focuses on opium, opiates, narcotics and drug eradication measures through ‘edutainment’ displays. The first part of the exhibition details the 5000-year history of opium from its first known appearance in early Egypt, through the 19th century’s opium wars, to the 20th century’s production and trafficking in South East Asia. The second half shows the effects of drugs on the mind and body, describing strategies employed throughout the world to control drugs, international cooperation, and efforts in dealing with drug addiction.

Although the Golden Triangle has historically referred to a large, predominantly highland area of Laos, Burma and Thailand, the Golden Triangle also has a specific map reference – the point where the Ruak and Mekong Rivers merge, an area where, for decades, cross-border smuggling and drug production was manifest.

In 1988, Her Royal Highness Princess Srinagarindra, the late Princess Mother of His Majesty the King of Thailand, initiated the Doi Tung Development Project, 55 kilometres north of Chiang Saen, deep in the border highlands.

The project’s focus was not only to reforest an area denuded by logging and poppy fields but also to improve the lives of the people living in the area by ending their dependence on opium growing and use.

A few years later, Her Royal Highness initiated a project to help educate people on the history of opium to build their commitment to join the fight against illegal drugs. Her foundation, Mae Fah Luang, began research for the Hall of Opium museum in 1994.

The museum’s 5600 square metre exhibition and information centre is set in the 160 rai or 40-hectare Golden Triangle Park. The facility is within walkingdistance of Anantara Resort.

Museum interior

The Hall of Opium is located 10 kilometres north of Chiang Saen in Thailand’s Chiang Rai province. And is open from 8.30am to 4.00pm Tuesdays to Sundays. Entry fees are THB300 for foreigners and THB200 for Thai citizens. Entrance for children under twelve is free of charge.

For further information on the museum, call + 66 (0) 5365 2151 or + 66 (0) 5378 4444, or email hallofopium@doitung.org. To contact the Bangkok marketing office, telephone + 66 (0) 2252 7114.

photos downloaded from http://www.doitung.org/doitung/destination_highlights/hallofopium.asp