Burmese Fishermen Hooked On 'Asean'  HUMPHON, THAILAND—To most people, “Asean” is an abbreviation for the compound of countries known as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, but for Burmese fishermen working in southern Thailand, it is the brewed compound of choice that keeps their energy level high during the long working hours at sea.  Asean is a liquid compound whose main ingredient is the leaf of the kratom tree, which has a proven psychoactive effect and is illegal in Thailand, Burma and Malaysia. According to the US Drug Enforcement Agency website, in Thailand kratom is classified the same as marijuana and is the third most widely abused illegal drug in the country, after methamphetamine and marijuana.  Every day, groups of Burmese fishermen in Thailand's southern provinces such as Phang Nga, Ranong and Chumphon secretly sit around a boiling pot on their fishing boat and prepare Asean. They first brew the kratom leaves; then they mix the hot kratom tea with cough syrup, instant coffee and milk.  The leaf of the kratom tree. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) “All the fishermen here use it. Thai fishing boat owners provide the kratom leaves and all the necessary materials to make Asean in every boat,” said Kyaw Naing, a fisherman working on a squid boat in Phang Nga who came to Thailand from Burma in 1989.  Kyaw Maung, a Burmese fishing boat owner in Chumphon Province, said he pays 20 baht for a package of 20 kratom leaves, which he gives to his fishermen before they go to sea. One packet is enough for three persons to drink Asean for a day.  “Asean strengthens the physical power of the fishermen. Not only I, but also other Thai fishing boat owners supply bags of kratom leaves to the fishermen,” he said, adding that even the wives of Burmese fishermen in Chumphon drink Asean these days.  The problem is that Asean can be addictive if taken every day.  “I can live without eating rice, but I can't do without Asean,” said Than Zaw, a 26-year-old Burmese man who works on a ferry boat in Ranong Province. He said he has been addicted to the compound since he was 20 years old.  Myint Soe, a Burmese fisherman in Ranong province, said that the sale of powdered kratom leaves has become a lucrative business in the area. He said that one kilo of kratom powder sells for 650 baht in Ranong and 900 baht in Kawthaung, the Burmese town on the opposite side of the border.  He said he was also addicted to Asean for two years, but gave it up due to health concerns.  “Asean gives us a high. But one side effect is constipation,” he said. “Three of my friends have died from drinking Asean for too long.”  Kyaw Maung said that three months ago one Burmese fishermen who was working on his boat jumped into the sea and died while high on Asean.  “Other fishermen saved him three or four times in the past when he jumped into the sea, but the last time he died,” he said, showing the identification card photo of the dead young fisherman.  There are no statistics on how many Burmese fishermen have died due to ingesting Asean, but despite the risks they still continue to use the drug.  Having been addicted himself, Myint Soe knows full-well its dangers and addictive properties, but still extols the use of Asean, saying it is necessary to maintain the energy level required in his line of work.  “Normally at noon we are worn out and tired, but with Asean we can work non-stop,” he said. “It's important that you can work as hard as others.”  Burmese fishermen said that Asean has been popular for the last ten years, since the time that Phensedyl— a cought syrup made in India which the fisherman used in the same manner and for the same purpose as Asean—became no longer available.  The kratom trees that produce the pyschoactive ingredient in Asean are similar to guava trees in appearance. While they grow naturally, kratom trees that produce the leaves that are sold to Burmese fisherman are grown mostly on rubber plantations, said a Thai man who grows kratom in Chumphon Province.  Inside his compound, kratom trees grow as high as ten feet tall. He said that the police let him grow only a few trees and he sells the leaves to Burmese fishermen for 200 baht per kilo.  Fishermen in Chumphon said there are at least two or three arrests every month for possession of kratom leaves and the police fine those arrested 500 baht per leaf. But they claimed that the major distributors of the kratom leaf are the local authorities themselves.
From a thriving industry in southeast Asia, the catch might end up on dinner plates almost anywhere in the world. But you might be shocked to know how these fish are caught. Sometimes the boats are floating prisons crewed by slaves.