Nay Pyi Taw, Feb. 15 -- The Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF), a major pro-democracy armed organisation in Myanmar, has issued a stark warning to residents against opium cultivation in all areas in Myanmar's Karenni state under its control, and have threatened to mow down entire poppy fields should it continue.
KNDF Brigade 4 Commander Moe Nyo said the group would launch a sweeping crackdown in Demoso, vowing to "wipe out" poppy fields if cultivation continues.
"People are growing opium openly - along main roads, beside houses, at the edge of villages," he said. "This is the final warning. If they do it again next year, not a single field will be spared."The warning poses a complex problem, given that poppy farming has long been ...