A large quantity of amphetamines left behind at a recently abandoned Burma army post is further proof that drug abuse is rampant in the ranks of Burma's armed forces, say officials with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).
The amphetamines along with a collection of homemade pipes were found by KIA forces when they captured the post on April 26 following heavy fighting at Laja Yang, just outside Laiza.
Fashioned from plastic water bottles, the pipes were scattered around the entire post, said a KIA officer who visited the site. Pipes were also found in a large covered area which appeared to serve as a meeting hall for the Burma army troops.
Defectors from the Burma army frequently report that the use of amphetamines also known as Yaba is rife among the rank and file.
A senior KIA commander based in the Mai Ja Yang area told the Kachin News Group that many of the government troops who have fallen at the hands of the KIA since the conflict began last year appeared to be taking needless risks, indicating they were high on drugs at the time of their death.
The KIA officer believes that Burma army soldiers wouldn't charge directly at well defended KIA position unless they were on something that affected their judgment.
While Burma forces fled Laja Yang on April 26, army troops remain at posts at nearby Lung Rawt Bum (mountain). Laja Yang is a strategic military position due to its location less than four miles from Laiza, the KIA's de facto headquarters.
