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106-590: Mae Salong's early history centered on the Golden Triangle 's opium trade, in which its distinctive population – the " lost army " of the Republic of China Army 's 93rd Division – became involved. At the conclusion of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, some remnants of the anti-communist Kuomintang (KMT) forces refused to surrender, including the 278th Regiment of the 93rd Division and

212-597: A Roman magistrate held control of on behalf of his government. In fact, the word province is an ancient term from public law, which means: "office belonging to a magistrate". This agrees with the Latin term's earlier usage as a generic term for a jurisdiction under Roman law . In France , the expression en province still means "outside the Paris region". Equivalent expressions are used in Peru ( en provincias , "outside

318-600: A county in the United Kingdom . In China, a province is a sub-national region within a unitary state; this means that a province can be created or abolished by the national people's congress. In some nations, a province (or its equivalent) is a first-level administrative unit of sub-national government—as in the Netherlands —and a large constituent autonomous area, as in Argentina , Canada , South Africa , and

424-471: A federal state and not a confederation , in practice it is among the world's more decentralized federations. Canadian Confederation and the Constitution Act, 1867 conferred considerable power on the provincial governments which they often use to pursue their own goals independently of the federal government. In Canada, local governments have been called "creatures of the province" because

530-647: A region (which is the first-order administrative sub-division of the nation). Italian provinces are mainly named after their principal town and comprise several administrative sub-divisions called comuni (communes). In Chile, they are referred to as comunas . Chile has 15 regions , subdivided into 53 provinces, of which each is run by a governor appointed by the president. Italy has 20 regions , subdivided into 14 metropolitan cities and 96 provinces . Peru has 25 regions , subdivided into 194 provinces. Spain has 17 autonomous communities and 2 autonomous cities, subdivided into 50 provinces . The island of Ireland

636-534: A stereotype of the denizens of the provinces to be less culturally aware than those in the capital. The historic European provinces—built up of many small regions, called pays by the French and " cantons " by the Swiss, each with a local cultural identity and focused upon a market town —have been depicted by Fernand Braudel as the optimum-size political unit in pre-industrial Early Modern Europe . He asks, "Was

742-399: A "Country Commercial Guide", which states "Exports of opiates alone appear to be worth about as much as all legal exports." It goes on to say that investments in infrastructure and hotels are coming from major opiate-growing and opiate-exporting organizations and from those with close ties to these organizations. A four-year investigation concluded that Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE)

848-409: A D.E.A. 18 month undercover investigation into a Nigerian led international drug trafficking gang that smuggled an estimated $ 200 million worth of heroin from Singapore to America via drug mules , with defendants facing federal indictments relating to drug conspiracy & distribution, racketeering and money-laundering. Earlier on that day, Dutch national Johannes van Damme , who was employed by

954-413: A growing interest in paradiplomacy , be it performed under a legal framework or as a trend informally admitted as legitimate by the central authorities. In unitary states such as France and China , provinces are subordinate to the national, central government. In theory, the central government can create or abolish provinces within its jurisdiction. On the other hand, although Canada is now considered

1060-592: A half times as large as France —640,679 km (247,368 sq mi). Six provinces, including five of the oldest Canadian provinces— Alberta , Ontario , Quebec , New Brunswick , Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island —have "counties" as administrative sub-divisions. The actual local government form can vary widely. In New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and in 9 of the 18 counties of Nova Scotia, county government has been abolished and has been superseded by another form of local government. New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island also have parishes within counties. Since

1166-583: A heavily-pregnant blood merchant, depicts the blood-selling scandals in China from the 1980s-2000s in which hundreds of thousands of people, mostly rural poor , contracted HIV through government sponsored campaigns to increase blood supplies. The traditional costume of the Akha people features heavily in the segment, however the blood selling scandals mostly impacted rural villagers in Henan province. Mae Salong

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1272-558: A mountainous sanctuary in Mae Salong in Thailand. The Thai government allowed them to stay on the understanding that they would assist in policing the area against communist infiltration. As a result, most of the village's inhabitants today are ethnic Chinese and direct descendants of those KMT soldiers. At the same time, General Lee of the 3rd Regiment established his headquarters at Tham Ngob, north-west of Chiang Mai . The KMT army

1378-450: A pagoda-like tomb on a hilltop reached via a 300-metre (984 ft) climb. From the top, there is a panoramic view of the village. There is also a memorial to the KMT soldiers who died in their fight against communism, The Martyrs' Memorial, a museum whose wooden panels bear the names of the dead, set on an altar in the main building. It was constructed in the style of a large Chinese shrine like

1484-525: A price of $ 4,200 per kilogram compared to the $ 50,000 each that the New York Mafia charged), Atkinson used his contacts within the US military to smuggle the narcotics via US Air Force planes back to the eastern United States. It was then collected, cut to 10% purity, repackaged and distributed on the streets of Harlem by dealers controlled by Lucas for a vast profit. This smuggling route operated up until

1590-467: A referendum), while the province of Alberta still does not impose a provincial sales tax. The evolution of federations has created an inevitable tug-of-war between concepts of federal supremacy versus states' and provinces' rights. The historic division of responsibility in federal constitutions is inevitably subject to multiple overlaps. For example, when central governments, responsible for foreign policy , enter into international agreements in areas where

1696-616: A source of drug mules, by the early 1990s West African criminal organizations had emerged as major traffickers themselves of Southeast Asian heroin, with 660 West Africans being arrested in the United States for heroin trafficking in the year 1991. The issue became so widespread that in 1992 the Nigerian government enacted a law that required its citizens to first obtain an official Clearance Certificate to prove they have no previous convictions for any drug-related offences issued by

1802-549: Is a hilltop village in the Mae Fa Luang district of Thailand's Chiang Rai Province , about 80 kilometres (50 mi) from Chiang Rai . Mae Salong is on the highest peak of the Doi Mae Salong range of mountains, at an elevation of 1,134 metres (3,722 ft) above sea level. It has an alpine-like climate, with crisp cool air all year round and chilly in the winter months of November through February. Mae Salong

1908-500: Is accessible via two routes – Route 1130 from Ban Basang and Route 1234 from the south, which until being paved were only accessible by pack horses. Now regular minibus services, running from 06:00–13:00, are available from Chiang Rai to Mae Salong. Mae Salong has long been the home of many hill tribes such as the Akha , Yao , Karen , and Hmong that originated from southern China and Myanmar. Each tribe has its own language, and follows animist customs and practices. Living among

2014-698: Is active in a variety of countries in addition to Myanmar, including Thailand, Lao PDR, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, China and Taiwan. The Chinese Muslim Panthay are the same ethnic group as the Muslims among the Chinese Chin Haw . A Panthay from Burma, Ma Zhengwen, assisted the Han Chinese drug lord Khun Sa in selling his heroin in north Thailand. The Panthay monopolized opium trafficking in Burma. They also created secret drug routes to reach

2120-419: Is administratively divided into four provinces, which are: It also has two autonomous territories: The term "province" is sometimes used to refer to the historic governorates ( guberniyas ) of Russia . This terms also refers to the provinces ( провинции ), which were introduced as the subdivisions of the governorates in 1719 and existed until 1775. In modern parlance, the term is commonly used to refer to

2226-492: Is also divided into counties, albeit they are officially classified as "municipal districts" by the province, though in regular everyday parlance these entities are referred to as a "county". The province of Alberta has some unique local governance schemes formed in response to local conditions. For instance, Sherwood Park is an unincorporated "urban service area" of 72,017 within Strathcona County , which has most of

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2332-465: Is an administrative division within a country or state . The term derives from the ancient Roman provincia , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy . The term province has since been adopted by many countries. In some countries with no actual provinces, "the provinces" is a metaphorical term meaning "outside

2438-478: Is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French province , which itself comes from the Latin word provincia , which referred to the sphere of authority of a magistrate , in particular, to a foreign territory. A popular etymology is from Latin pro- ("on behalf of") and vincere ("to triumph" or "to take control of"). Thus a "province" would be a territory or function that

2544-550: Is divided into four historic provinces (see Provinces of Ireland ), each of which is sub-divided into counties . These provinces are Connacht (in the west), Leinster (in the east), Munster (in the south) and, Ulster (in the north). Nowadays these provinces have little or no administrative function, though they do have sporting significance. From the 19th century, the Portuguese colonies were considered overseas provinces of Portugal . Similarly, some overseas parts of

2650-513: Is ideal for growing high quality oolongs ("black dragon" in Chinese). Such teas are cultivated at elevations ranging from 1,200 to 1,400 metres (3,960–4,620 ft). In 2005, Mae Salong was selected by the Tourism and Sports Ministry as an OTOP (" One Tambon One Product ") tourism village in recognition of its fine oolong tea. The goals are to stimulate the grassroots economy, increase

2756-580: Is irrigating every economic activity in Myanmar, and big foreign partners are also seen by the State Law and Order Restoration Council as big shields for money laundering." Banks in Rangoon offered money laundering for a 40% commission. A United Nations report also cites corruption, poverty and a lack of government control as typical causes for impoverished farmers to engage in drug production. In 1992,

2862-430: Is not a pair of twin cities on opposite sides of a border, but is actually incorporated by both provinces as a single city with a single municipal administration. The residents objected to the federal government splitting the city in two when it created the two provinces, so the two provinces reunified it by declaring it to be a single city in two provinces, thereby bypassing the limitations of federal boundaries. Pakistan

2968-490: Is now one of the world's leading areas for the production of synthetic drugs and particularly methamphetamine as production has scaled up of Yaba tablets and crystalline methamphetamine , including for export to Australia, New Zealand, and across East and Southeast Asia. With respect to the accelerating synthetic drug production in the region, and specifically in Shan State, Myanmar, Sam Gor , also known as "The Company",

3074-531: Is the leader of the group, after taking over the leadership on Tuan's death in 1980. The crop substitution programs successfully encouraged the cultivation of tea, coffee, corn, and fruit trees, replacing the opium poppies that had previously been grown. New fruit orchards and tea factories were also set up, followed by production facilities for fruit wines and Chinese herbs , which are particularly popular among Thais and tourists from China, Taiwan, and other ethnic Chinese communities in south-east Asia . Mae Salong

3180-688: Is understood to be one of the main international crime syndicates responsible for this shift. Made up of members of five different triads and understood to be headed by Tse Chi Lop , a Canadian gangster born in Guangzhou , China , the Cantonese Chinese syndicate is primarily involved in drug trafficking, potentially earning up to $ 8 billion per year. Sam Gor is alleged to control 40% of the Asia-Pacific methamphetamine market, while also trafficking heroin and ketamine . The organization

3286-594: The Ah Kong took control of the European heroin trade by smuggling heroin using couriers via airplane from Thailand and Malaysia to their headquarters in Amsterdam , where it was then distributed to other major cities in western Europe. So successful were the gang that they muscled in on and ultimately took over the European territory of the 14K and Wo Shing Wo groups of triads . Heroin from Southeast Asia

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3392-720: The American Midwest , that was believed to have supplied over 200 kg (440 lb) with an estimated retail price of $ 100 million a year to various street gangs in the region. Poppy cultivation in the country decreased more than 80 percent from 1998 to 2006 following an eradication campaign in the Golden Triangle. Officials with the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime have confirmed that opium poppy farming has decreased since 2014, as synthetic drug production has expanded. The Golden Triangle

3498-716: The British Empire bore the colonial title of "province" (in a more Roman sense), such as the Province of Canada and the Province of South Australia (the latter, to distinguish it from the penal "colonies" elsewhere in Australia ). Likewise, prior to the American Revolution , most of the original Thirteen Colonies in British America were provinces as well, such as the Province of Georgia and

3604-640: The Canadian Constitution assigns local government to provincial jurisdiction, the various provinces can create, dissolve, and reorganize local governments freely and they have been described as "creatures of the province". The Western provinces have more varied types of administrative sub-divisions than the Eastern provinces . The province of British Columbia has "regional districts" which function as county-equivalents. Manitoba and Saskatchewan are divided into rural municipalities. Alberta

3710-600: The Delaware Colony , Rhode Island and the Colony of Virginia never used the title "province". The British colonies further north, which remained loyal to Britain and later confederated to form the original Canada , retained the title of "province" and are still known as such to the present day. To 19th- and 20th-century historians, in Europe, centralized government was a sign of modernity and political maturity. In

3816-663: The Democratic Republic of the Congo . It can also be a constituent element of a federation , confederation , or republic . For example, in the United States , no state may secede from the federal Union without the permission of the federal government . In other nations—such as Belgium , Chile , Italy , Peru , the Philippines , and Spain —a province is a second-level administrative sub-division of

3922-570: The Korean War , the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had a desperate need for intelligence on China. The agency turned to the two KMT generals, who agreed to slip some soldiers back into China for intelligence-gathering missions. In return, the agency offered arms to equip the generals to retake China from their bases in the Shan State. The KMT army tried no fewer than seven times between 1950 and 1952 to invade Yunnan, but

4028-541: The Lahu people of Kengtung State testified that the KMT tortured the Lahu for failing to comply with their regulations. Annual production increased 20 times, from 30 tons at the time of Burmese independence to 600 t (590 long tons; 660 short tons) in the mid-1950s. Myanmar is the world's largest producer of illicit opium, and has been a significant cog in the transnational drug trade since World War II . According to

4134-572: The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency before they could apply for a Thailand travel visa . Instead of attempting to smuggle a single large shipment, Nigerian traffickers would typically recruit many low level non-Nigerian couriers to transport a couple of kilograms of heroin at a time via regular airline routes from transshipment points in Asia, such as Singapore, to western Europe or the eastern United States. Once

4240-549: The National Revolutionary Martyrs' Shrine in Taipei. The museum also features exhibits describing the struggles of the KMT soldiers and the development of the Doi Mae Salong valley. Phra Boromathat Chedi is a chedi built on a hill near the village, in honour of the late Princess Mother, Srinagarindra . There is an excellent view of the Myanmar frontier from the top, an area that was off-limits when it

4346-616: The Province of Canada . From its separation from Nova Scotia in the 18th century, New Brunswick was known as His/Her Majesty's Province of New Brunswick. After Canadian confederation in 1867, the term provinces continued to be used, in reference to the sub-national governments of Canada . Because Canada is the second-largest country in the world by area , but has only 10 provinces, most Canadian provinces are very large— six of its ten provinces are larger than any country in Europe except Russia , and its largest province Quebec —1,542,056 km (595,391 sq mi)—is almost two and

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4452-460: The Province of New Hampshire . The constituent entities of Canada are known as provinces . Prior to confederation, the term province was used in reference to several British colonies situated in Canada; such as the colonial Province of Quebec . In 1791, Quebec split into two separate colonies, the provinces of Lower Canada , and Upper Canada . The two colonies were later merged in 1841 to form

4558-785: The UNODC it was estimated that in 2005 opium was cultivated in an area of 430 km (167 sq mi) in Myanmar. Opium and heroin base produced in northeastern Myanmar are transported by horse and donkey caravans to refineries along the Thailand–Burma border for conversion to heroin and heroin base. Most of the finished products are shipped across the border into various towns in North Thailand and down to Bangkok for further distribution to international markets. The surrender of drug lord Khun Sa 's Mong Tai Army in January 1996

4664-575: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Myanmar Opium Survey 2022. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has also warned that opium production in Myanmar may rise again if the economic crunch brought on by COVID-19 and the country's 2021 Myanmar coup d'état persists, with significant public health and security consequences for much of Asia. In 2023, Myanmar became the world’s largest producer of opium after an estimated 1,080 t (1,060 long tons; 1,190 short tons) of

4770-436: The United States and Australia ) these residual powers lie at the provincial or state level, whereas in a centralized federal system (such as Canada ) they are retained at the federal level. Some of the enumerated powers can be quite important. For example, Canadian provinces are sovereign in regard to such important matters as property , civil rights , education , social welfare and medical services . The growth of

4876-514: The United States Department of Justice released a report detailing the typical process in which raw opium extracted from poppy plants is converted to morphine and then to heroin: In the same year, the U.S. Department of Justice published a separate report with estimated prices for Southeast Asian heroin at various stages from point of production to final street sale: After hearing about African American soldiers serving in

4982-483: The Vietnam War becoming addicted to heroin while on R&R in Thailand, American drug lord Frank Lucas travelled to Bangkok in the early 1970s in an attempt to set up a new trafficking route with his associate Ike Atkinson . After Lucas visited the Golden Triangle region and made an initial purchase of 132 kilograms of uncut heroin (98–100% pure) from remnants of Chiang Kai-shek defeated Kuomintang army (for

5088-432: The capital city ". While some provinces were produced artificially by colonial powers , others were formed around local groups with their own ethnic identities. Many have their own powers independent of central or federal authority, especially in Canada and Pakistan . In other countries, like China or France , provinces are the creation of central government, with very little autonomy. The English word province

5194-567: The communist insurgency on the Thai frontier . In reward, the Thai government granted citizenship to most of the KMT soldiers and their families. Cash crops , especially tea, have now replaced the growing of opium poppies, and Mae Salong today is a tourist attraction known as "Little Switzerland". The origins of the Mae Salong community go back to the end of the Chinese Civil War . In October 1949, after Mao Zedong 's communist party victory in China,

5300-464: The 16 Regions into which New Zealand is divided, and also the 21 District Health Boards. Sometimes the term the provinces is used to refer collectively to rural and regional parts of New Zealand, that is, those parts of the country lying outside some or all of the "main centres"— Auckland , Wellington , Christchurch , Hamilton and Dunedin . In many countries, a province is a relatively small non-constituent level of sub-national government, such as

5406-509: The 3rd and 5th Regiments, commanded respectively by Generals Lee Wen-huan (Li Wenhuan) and Tuan Shi-wen, fought their way out of Yunnan and escaped into Burma's jungles. The soldiers' war did not end after their own "long march" from Yunnan to Möng Hsat in Burma's Shan State . The Burmese soon discovered that a foreign army was camped on their soil, and launched an offensive. The fighting continued for 12 years, and several thousand KMT soldiers were eventually evacuated to Taiwan. When China entered

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5512-550: The 709th Regiment of the 237th Division (led by General Li Kuo-hui). The troops fought their way out of Yunnan in south-western China, and its soldiers lived in Burma's (now Myanmar ) jungles. The army grew and part of it returned to Taiwan under international pressure. The remaining troops moved to the Thai border area and eventually established several communities in Thailand . Those led by Gen Tuan Shi-wen (also known as Chiwan Khamlue) settled in Mae Salong. The Thai government allowed their presence in exchange for their help fighting

5618-464: The Canadian government introduced a Goods and Services Tax (GST) to share the revenues, which proved unpopular both with provincial governments and taxpayers. The Canadian government has tried to harmonize the two levels of sales taxes, but three provinces continue to impose a separate sales tax (British Columbia after harmonizing it, and shortly thereafter de-harmonizing it after it was struck down by

5724-410: The Canadian government introduced an income tax during World War I , and since it is a direct tax it also became a major revenue generator for provinces. In most provinces, the federal government now collects income tax for both levels of government and transfers to the provincial governments whatever surcharge they ask for. The sales tax also become a major revenue generator for provinces, so in 1991

5830-568: The Chinese border into the Golden Triangle region. Small-scale opium production in Myanmar dated back to the Konbaung dynasty in 1750, chiefly for the consumption of foreigners. The Chinese troops of the Kuomintang in Burma (KMT) were in effect the forebears of the private narcotic armies operating in the Golden Triangle. In 1949, thousands of the defeated Kuomintang troops crossed over

5936-600: The Constitution provided for stronger provincial powers. This provided an opportunity for forum shopping for provinces who opposed federal laws. Until appeals from Canada to the Privy Council were abolished in 1949, in legal disputes the provincial governments tended to win powers at the expense of the federal government. In addition, while the Canadian federal government has unlimited taxing power while province governments are restricted to imposing direct taxes ,

6042-464: The KMT division, but upon taking up his position, Samanmit was killed by communist insurgents . Soon afterwards, the KMT division was ordered to assist the Thai government in countering the advancing armies on Thailand's northern borders and the internal threat from the Communist Party of Thailand . Fierce battles were fought in the mountains of Doi Laung, Doi Yaw, Doi Phamon, and Mae Aabb, and

6148-607: The KMT soldiers and their families. Despite the Thai government's attempts to integrate the KMT division and their families into the Thai nation, the inhabitants of Mae Salong preferred for many years to engage in the illegal opium trade, alongside the drug warlord Khun Sa of the Shan United Army. In 1967, Tuan said in an interview with a British journalist: We have to continue to fight the evil of communism, and to fight you must have an army, and an army must have guns, and to buy guns you must have money. In these mountains,

6254-461: The annual cherry blossoms festival, which is organised by Mae Salong Nok Tambon Administration Organisation in association with Mae Fa Luang District. The festival celebrates the culture of the hill tribe people from the Chiang Rai area, and includes a handicraft sale, a light and sound show, a parade by the tribes people, and a beauty contest. General Tuan Shi-wen died in 1980, and was buried in

6360-579: The approval of local voters. Not all first-level political entities are termed "provinces." In Arab countries, the first administrative level of government—called a muhafazah —is usually translated as a " governorate ." In Poland , the equivalent of "province" is " województwo ," sometimes rendered in English as " voivodeship ." Historically, New Zealand was divided into provinces , each with its own Superintendent and Provincial Council, and with considerable responsibilities conferred on them. However,

6466-418: The area a new name. Santikhiri meaning "hill of peace" was introduced by the Thai government in an effort to disassociate the area from its former image as an established opium zone. King Bhumibol Adulyadej and other members of the royal family made regular visits as a sign of their support for the old soldiers who had fought against their own country for Thailand. As late as the mid-1970s, Doi Mae Salong

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6572-913: The arrest of Frank Lucas by the Drug Enforcement Administration in January 1975. In 1972, traditional European supply routes for American-consumed heroin (known as the French Connection ) were disrupted after Turkey banned the growing of opium poppies, which led to an increase in production in South East Asia. With an existing Triad organized crime infrastructure to service a large local population of addicts (consisting of an estimated 150,000 regular users ), combined with its busy international Port of Hong Kong and Kai Tak Airport , Hong Kong soon became an important transit point for Southeast Asian heroin, as well as convenient money laundering center to reinvest

6678-578: The authority of a local government derives solely from the provincial government. Provinces can create, merge, and dissolve local governments without the consent of the federal government or the people in the affected locality. Alberta in particular dissolved and merged hundreds of local governments during the 1940s and 1950s as a consequence of the Great Depression . Other provinces have arbitrarily merged and annexed independent suburbs to major Canadian cities such as Toronto or Montreal without

6784-426: The border after the fighting stopped, and others having married local Thais . The old soldiers carry on their normal lives peacefully now, but still retain their Chinese identity; the main language spoken remains Yunnanese . Among their local-born descendants, some have adopted a Thai identity and no longer identify with their Chinese ancestry. As of 2007, General Lue Ye-tien, aged 90 and Tuan's former right-hand man,

6890-571: The border from Yunnan Province into Burma, a nation with a weak government, and the Kuomintang seized control of the border regions of Burma. Almost all of the KMT opium was sent south to Thailand. The KMT-controlled territories made up Burma's major opium-producing region, and the shift in KMT policy allowed them to expand their control over the region's opium trade. Furthermore, Communist China's eradication of illicit opium cultivation in Yunnan by

6996-456: The capacity to allocate any currency credit to MOGE, the Singapore bank accounts of this company have seen the transfer of hundreds of millions of US dollars," reports François Casanier. According to a confidential MOGE file reviewed by the investigators, funds exceeding $ 60 million and originating from Myanmar's most renowned drug lord, Khun Sa , were channeled through the company. "Drug money

7102-473: The city of Lima "), Mexico ( la provincia , "lands outside Mexico City "), Romania ( în provincie , "outside the Bucharest region"), Poland ( prowincjonalny , "provincial"), Bulgaria ( в провинцията , v provincijata , "in the provinces" and провинциален , provincialen , "provincial") and the Philippines ( taga-probinsiya , "from outside Metro Manila ", sa probinsiya , "in

7208-429: The colony (as it then was) never developed into a federation; instead, the provinces were abolished in 1876. The old provincial boundaries continue to be used to determine the application of certain public holidays . Over the years, when the central Government has created special-purpose agencies at a sub-national level, these have often tended to follow or approximate the old provincial boundaries. Current examples include

7314-404: The communist uprising was successfully countered. The bloodiest operation was launched on 10 December 1970, a five-year-long campaign that claimed over 1,000 lives, many from landmines. It was not until 1982 that the soldiers were able to give up their arms and were discharged to settle down to a normal life at Mae Salong. As a reward for their service, the Thai government gave citizenship to most of

7420-532: The confluence of the Ruak and Mekong rivers. The name "Golden Triangle" was coined by Marshall Green , a U.S. State Department official, in 1971 in a press conference on the opium trade. Today, the Thai side of the river confluence, Sop Ruak , has become a tourist attraction, with the House of Opium Museum, a Hall of Opium, and a Golden Triangle Park, and no opium cultivation. The Golden Triangle has been one of

7526-417: The defeated Kuomintang (KMT) armies led by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek retreated to Taiwan , except for the 3rd and 5th Regiments of the 93rd Division, which refused to surrender. Fighting between the communist and KMT troops continued in some remote parts of China, including Yunnan in the south-west. When the communists marched into the provincial capital of Kunming in January 1950, 12,000 troops from

7632-851: The drug was produced, according to a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report, while a crackdown by the Taliban reduced opium production by approximately 95% to 330 t (320 long tons; 360 short tons) in Afghanistan for the same year. The following districts make up the approximate geographical area of the Golden Triangle: In the late 1940s, as the Chinese Communist Party gained power, it ordered ten million addicts into compulsory treatment, had dealers executed, and opium-producing regions planted with new crops. Consequently, opium production shifted south of

7738-542: The drug were also trafficked into New York City and Washington, D.C. While Southeast Asian groups had success in trafficking heroin to the United States, they initially had difficulty arranging street level distribution. However, with the incarceration of Asian traffickers in American prisons during the 1970s, contacts between Asian and American prisoners developed. These contacts have allowed Southeast Asian traffickers access to gangs and organizations distributing heroin at

7844-487: The early 1950s effectively handed the opium monopoly to the KMT army in the Shan State . The main consumers of the drug were the local ethnic Chinese and those across the border in Yunnan and the rest of Southeast Asia. They coerced the local villagers for recruits, food and money, and exacted a heavy tax on the opium farmers. That forced the farmers to increase their production to make ends meet. One American missionary to

7950-464: The expression en province is regularly replaced in the media by the more politically correct en région , région now being the term officially used for the secondary level of government. In Italy , in provincia generally means "outside the biggest regional capitals" (like Rome , Milan , Naples , etc.). For the United Kingdom use of the word is often pejorative, assuming

8056-719: The heads of the Supreme Court of Canada to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London . As well, provinces could bypass the Supreme Court and go directly to London from any Provincial Court . The Canadian Supreme Court tended to support the view that the Canadian Constitution was intended to create a powerful central government, but the Privy Council in London held the distinctly opposite view that

8162-403: The heroin arrived at its final destination, it was transported to cutting and packaging mills where it was diluted and packaged for retail or street-level sale, with the profits then transferred to Lagos or Hong Kong for the purposes of money laundering . In September 1991, American federal agents arrested 37 people (including 28 Nigerian citizens) in the eastern United States as the result

8268-470: The international market with contacts to smuggle drugs from Burma via south China. In 2023, Myanmar overtook Afghanistan as the world’s biggest producer of opium, after a ban on poppy cultivation by the Taliban reduced opium production by approximately 95%. A United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report estimated that 1,080 metric tonnes of opium was produced in Myanmar, up from 790 metric tonnes

8374-651: The largest opium -producing areas of the world since the 1950s. Most of the world's heroin came from the Golden Triangle until the early 21st century when opium production in Afghanistan increased. Myanmar was the world's second-largest source of opium after Afghanistan up to 2022, producing some 25% of the world's opium, forming part of the Golden Triangle. While opium poppy cultivation in Myanmar had declined year-on-year since 2015, cultivation area increased by 33% totalling 40,100 ha (99,000 acres) alongside an 88% increase in yield potential to 790 t (780 long tons; 870 short tons) in 2022 according to latest data from

8480-559: The late 20th century, as the European Union drew nation-states closer together, centripetal forces seemed simultaneously to move countries toward more flexible systems of more localized, provincial governing entities under the overall European Union umbrella. Spain after Francisco Franco has been a "State of Autonomies", formally unitary but in fact functioning as a federation of Autonomous Communities , each exercising different powers. (See Politics of Spain .) While Serbia ,

8586-663: The modern welfare state has resulted in these functions, assigned to the provinces , becoming more important compared to those assigned to the federal government and thus provincial governments have become more important than the Fathers of Confederation originally intended. Canada's status as a federation of provinces under the Dominion of the British Empire rather than an independent country also had certain legal implications. Provinces could appeal court rulings over

8692-421: The native inhabitants are the ethnic Chinese, who form the majority of Mae Salong's estimated population of 20,000. Mae Salong is noted for its high mountain oolong, a high grade traditional Chinese tea , which makes up about 80% of all tea production in Chiang Rai. The province produces about 200 tonnes (200 long tons; 220 short tons) of tea a year. The combination of climate and soil conditions at Mae Salong

8798-424: The number of tourists, and develop Thailand's products and services. Taiwanese experts work alongside local farmers in tea processing plants which produce top-quality tea for both the local and export markets. The number of tea plantations in the village has increased significantly since the mid-1990s, and includes Choke Chamroen Tea, Wang Put Tan, and 101 Tea. From 28 December to 2 January each year, Mae Salong hosts

8904-560: The oil refining capacity in Western Canada; Fort McMurray was once a city but dissolved itself and became an "urban service area" of 70,964 people within the Regional Municipality (R.M.) of Wood Buffalo , which has several multibillion-dollar oil sands plants; and Lloydminster , a city of 31,483 which sits directly astride the provincial border between Alberta and Saskatchewan. Unlike most such cases, Lloydminster

9010-403: The only money is opium. According to a CIA report in 1971, Mae Salong was then one of the largest heroin refineries in south-east Asia . Only in the late 1980s, after Khun Sa's army was finally routed and pushed over the border into Myanmar by the Thai military, was the Thai government able to make any headway in taming the region – part of which involved crop substitution plans and giving

9116-431: The percentage of Southeast Asian heroin rose from 3 percent to more than 40 percent of the market supply. As demand grew, Asian criminal organizations began trafficking large shipments of high purity heroin hidden amongst legitimate seaborne cargo to the United States of America. Notable incidents included: Although Nigeria had traditionally been used by foreign organized crime groups as a transit point for narcotics and as

9222-498: The previous year and that countries' highest total since 2001, while opium production in Afghanistan was vastly reduced to an estimated 330 tonnes for the same twelve month time period. Due to the implementation of more efficient farming practices (such as the use of irrigation systems and fertilizers ), yields in Myanmar have increased to approximately 23 kilogrammes per hectare of poppy field and farmers are now paid an average of US$ 355 per kilogram of raw opium (an increase of 27%),

9328-414: The profits of international sales. Crime groups also used the city state as a location to process opium into refined heroin, with a syndicate controlled by Ma Sik-chun estimated by the authorities to have imported over 700 tonnes of opium into Hong Kong between 1968 and 1974. In the mid 1970s, a organized crime gang headed by Roland Tan and composed mainly of Singaporean Chinese traffickers known as

9434-711: The province not its inhabitants' true ' fatherland '?" Even centrally-organized France, an early nation-state , could collapse into autonomous provincial worlds under pressure, as during the sustained crisis of the French Wars of Religion (1562–98). The British colonies in North America were often named provinces. Most (but not all) of the Thirteen Colonies that eventually formed the United States were called provinces. All declared themselves "states" when they became independent. The Connecticut Colony ,

9540-419: The province or state is not clearly subordinate to the national or central government. Rather, it is considered to be sovereign in regard to its particular set of constitutional functions. The central- and provincial-government functions, or areas of jurisdiction, are identified in a constitution . Those that are not specifically identified are called "residual powers". In a decentralized federal system (such as

9646-615: The provinces", or "in the countryside"). Before the French Revolution , France comprised a variety of jurisdictions (built around the early Capetian royal demesne ), some being considered "provinces", though the term was also used colloquially for territories as small as a manor ( châtellenie ). Most commonly referred to as "provinces", however, were the Grands Gouvernements , generally former medieval feudal principalities, or agglomerations of such. Today

9752-494: The region, suggests that methamphetamine manufacture in East and Southeast Asia is now consolidated into the lower Mekong region. Countries in East and Southeast Asia have collectively witnessed sustained increases in seizures of methamphetamine over the last decade, totalling over 171 tons and a record of over 1 billion methamphetamine tablets in 2021 according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, more than any other part of

9858-446: The report added. "The Golden Triangle, and specifically Shan State of Myanmar, is believed to be the largest methamphetamine producing area in the world (modest sized geographic area with highly concentrated production)." The growing signs of an intensification of methamphetamine manufacturing activity within and around the Golden Triangle, and a corresponding decrease in the number of production facilities dismantled in other parts of

9964-462: The retail level. In the 1980s, after traditional American Mafia groups were substantially weakened by a series of Mafia Commission Trials , ethnic Chinese traffickers gradually took over the dominant role in the heroin supply on the East Coast of the United States . A Drug Enforcement Administration study identified the source of the heroin sold on the streets of New York: from 1982 to 1987,

10070-646: The rump of former Yugoslavia , fought the separatists in the province of Kosovo , the United Kingdom , under the political principle of " devolution ", produced (1998) local parliaments in Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland . In ancient India , unlike the Mauryas , the Gupta Empire gave local areas a great deal of independence and divided the empire into 26 large provinces, styled as Bhukti, Pradesha and Bhoga. In many federations and confederations ,

10176-508: The same gang as a drug courier, was arrested in the transit lounge of Singapore Changi Airport and found to be in possession of 5.79 kilograms (12.8 lb) of high quality heroin hidden within two secret compartments of his suitcase. In a separate case in October 1996, U.S. law enforcement officials arrested members of a Chicago based Nigerian trafficking group that smuggled heroin from Thailand via couriers for distribution to cities across

10282-608: The state or province is sovereign, such as the environment or health standards, agreements made at the national level can create jurisdictional overlap and conflicting laws. This overlap creates the potential for internal disputes that lead to constitutional amendments and judicial decisions that alter the balance of powers. Though foreign affairs do not usually fall under a province's or a federal state's competency, some states allow them to legally conduct international relations on their own in matters of their constitutional prerogative and essential interest. Sub-national authorities have

10388-440: The world. In April and May 2020, Myanmar authorities reported Asia's largest ever drug operation in Shan State totalling what was believed to be 193 million methamphetamine tablets, hundreds of kilogrammes of crystal methamphetamine as well as some heroin, and over 162,000 litres and 35.5 tons of drug precursors as well as sophisticated production equipment and several staging and storage facilities. Province A province

10494-484: Was "the main channel for laundering the revenues of heroin produced and exported under the control of the Myanmar Army ." In a business deal signed with the French oil giant Total S.A. in 1992, and later joined by Unocal , MOGE received a payment of $ 15 million. "Despite the fact that MOGE has no assets besides the limited installments of its foreign partners and makes no profit, and that the Myanmar state never had

10600-537: Was chosen as the filming location for the subplot The Fortitude of the Buddha in the 2005 film 3 Needles . Although the narrative is supposed to be set in the rural southern province of Yunnan , director Thom Fitzergald stated that difficulties in obtaining permission from the Censorship Authority resulted in the decision to shoot the segment in Mae Salong instead. The segment, which stars Lucy Liu as

10706-556: Was hailed by Yangon as a major counter-narcotics success. Lack of government will and ability to take on major narcotrafficking groups and lack of serious commitment against money laundering continues to hinder the overall anti-drug effort. Most of the tribespeople growing the opium poppy in Myanmar and in the Thai highlands are living below the poverty line. In 1996, the United States Embassy in Rangoon released

10812-476: Was originally brought to the United States by couriers, typically Thai and U.S. nationals, travelling on commercial airlines. Despite its strict drug laws , Singapore was often used as a transit point, as traffickers believed foreign law enforcement agencies would be less stringent in checking passengers on arrival if their flight departed from Singapore. California and Hawaii were the primary U.S. entry points for Golden Triangle heroin, but small percentages of

10918-426: Was renamed "Chinese Irregular Forces" (CIF) and was placed directly under the control of a special task force, code-named "04", commanded by Bangkok . After the soldiers reached Mae Salong, China and Thailand struck an agreement to transfer the administration of the group to the Thai government. The provincial governor of southern Thailand , Pryath Samanmit, was reassigned as the governor of Chiang Rai, to oversee

11024-460: Was repeatedly driven back into the Shan State. The ending of the Korean War in 1953 was not the end of the KMT's fight against the communist Chinese and Burmese armies, which continued for many years, supported by Washington and Taiwan and subsequently funded by the KMT's involvement in the Golden Triangle 's drug trade. In 1961, Tuan led some 4,000 battle-weary KMT troops out of Burma to

11130-418: Was strictly off-limits to outsiders. Since 1994, Mae Salong has capitalised on its unique history and has developed into a tourist attraction, with its narrow winding streets lined with inns, noodle shops and teashops. As a result, Mae Salong has become one of Thailand's top ten destinations among backpackers today. The former soldiers had settled down, some of them having married ethnic Chinese brides who crossed

11236-408: Was under the control of the warlord Khun Sa. 20°09′56″N 99°37′35″E  /  20.16556°N 99.62639°E  / 20.16556; 99.62639 Golden Triangle (south-east Asia) The Golden Triangle is a large, mountainous region of approximately 200,000 km (77,000 sq mi) in northeastern Myanmar , northwestern Thailand and northern Laos , centered on

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