Mong Ton
Encyclopedia
Mong Ton is a town
and seat of Mong Tong Township
in Mong Hsat District
, Shan State
in eastern Myanmar
near the border with Thailand
. It is served by Mong Ton Airport. Lying east of the Thanlyin River, Mong Ton lies on the National Highway 45 and is also connected to Mong Hsat by National Highway 49 which begins to the northeast of the town.
Given its location near the border with Thailand and internal conflict, the Burmese army has the important IB277 military base just outside of the town. There are five Burmese army battalions in Mong Ton town alone. Trafficking of narcotics is a major problem in Mong Ton and Burma is the number two opium producer in the world after Afghanistan
, and one of the leading producers of amphetamines in South East Asia. The Free Burma Rangers
have alleged that the army is involved in the production and trafficking of narcotics in order to profit from the trade in opium, heroin and amphetamines. Opium is cultivated and it is not only processed for trade abroad it is also consumed by some local villagers and has created drug addiction problems.
Mong Ton has had a turbulent and unstable history, with conflicts between the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S) and the Burmese Army, although the problem is worse in the Kehsi, MongKung, and Laikha Townships. In Mong Ton and Mong Hsat Township
, the SPDC has demanded the removal of some UWSA military outposts and the Burmese Army is exerting more pressure on Lahu militias to conscript more soldiers and prepare to fight both the SSA–S and the UWSA. The SPDC supported three basic military training courses for the Lahu militia in Mong Ton during 2009.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
and seat of Mong Tong Township
Mong Tong Township
Mong Ton Township or Mong Tong Township is a township of Mongsat District in the Shan State of Myanmar. The principal town is Mong Ton. It borders Mong Ping Township to the north, Mong Hsat Township to the east, Mong Nai Township and Mong Pan Township to the west and Thailand to the south.Given its...
in Mong Hsat District
Mong Hsat District
Mong Hsat District is a district of the Shan State in Myanmar. It consists of 3 towns and 1095 villages.-Townships:The district contains the following townships:*Mong Hsat Township*Mong Ping Township*Mong Tong Township...
, Shan State
Shan State
Shan State is a state of Burma . Shan State borders China to the north, Laos to the east, and Thailand to the south, and five administrative divisions of Burma in the west. Largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area, Shan State covers 155,800 km², almost a quarter of the total...
in eastern Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
near the border with Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. It is served by Mong Ton Airport. Lying east of the Thanlyin River, Mong Ton lies on the National Highway 45 and is also connected to Mong Hsat by National Highway 49 which begins to the northeast of the town.
Given its location near the border with Thailand and internal conflict, the Burmese army has the important IB277 military base just outside of the town. There are five Burmese army battalions in Mong Ton town alone. Trafficking of narcotics is a major problem in Mong Ton and Burma is the number two opium producer in the world after Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, and one of the leading producers of amphetamines in South East Asia. The Free Burma Rangers
Free Burma Rangers
The Free Burma Rangers are a mainly Christian pro-active, pro-democracy humanitarian group who work throughout Burma but concentrate primarily on the heavily forested border region, delivering emergency medical assistance to sick and injured internally displaced people, or IDP's; a consequence of...
have alleged that the army is involved in the production and trafficking of narcotics in order to profit from the trade in opium, heroin and amphetamines. Opium is cultivated and it is not only processed for trade abroad it is also consumed by some local villagers and has created drug addiction problems.
Mong Ton has had a turbulent and unstable history, with conflicts between the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S) and the Burmese Army, although the problem is worse in the Kehsi, MongKung, and Laikha Townships. In Mong Ton and Mong Hsat Township
Mong Hsat Township
Mong Hsat Township is a township of Mong Hsat District in the Shan State of Myanmar. The principal town is Mong Hsat....
, the SPDC has demanded the removal of some UWSA military outposts and the Burmese Army is exerting more pressure on Lahu militias to conscript more soldiers and prepare to fight both the SSA–S and the UWSA. The SPDC supported three basic military training courses for the Lahu militia in Mong Ton during 2009.