The Wa of Myanmar

Located in the Golden Triangle, and one of the most remote and closed-off areas of Myanmar, Wa Special Region 2, was and still is, closed to tourism and almost all visits of any kind. I was privileged to live and work there for three years as the manager of the Wa Alternative Development Project (WADP) implemented by UNODC. The main focus of the book will be to show the life of the people, including the Wa and the other ethnic groups living there. Topics such as poppy cultivation and the Wa Army are also covered. Particular attention is paid to critical time when opium cultivation was successfully banned in 2005 and how this affected the way of life of the people.