. >> khun ya dui is used to feeling on edge. the sticky liquid he's scratching off these poppy seed pods is raw opium. and growing it is illegal. >> as an opium farmer, i can't ever relax, not even at night. my body may sleep, but my mind never rests. i'm always worried. >> the police could show up at any time and destroy his fields. but farmers here don't see any alternative. they used to make a living growing mangos or avocados, but transport costs have risen so much that they can no longer earn enough money from those crops. so khun ya dui's whole village lives from growing opium poppies. it doesn't make them rich, but they can afford tin roofs for their homes and even the occasional satellite dish. the biggest benefits are less obvious. thanks to the profits from the opium harvest, these children can go to school, and the elderly and ill can afford to take an ambulance to the nearest hospital. although both the police and the army also profit from the opium trade, the farmers never feel safe. last year, police arrived in khu

so khun ya dui's whole village lives from growing opium poppies. it doesn't make them rich, but they can afford tin roofs for their homes and even the occasional satellite dish. the biggest benefits are less obvious. thanks to the profits from the opium harvest, these children can go to school, and the elderly and ill can afford to take an ambulance to the nearest hospital. although both the police and the army also profit from the opium trade, the farmers never feel safe. last year, police arrived in khun ya dui's village and destroyed the harvest. >> all of the families in the village lost their income. we didn't have enough money to cover the costs for the year. so we had to borrow money from the opium dealers. some people gathered firewood or sold sweet potatoes. others tried their luck as day laborers in the city, or went straight to thailand. >> myanmar has considerable natural resources -- gold, precious stones, coal. that's one reason why the various ethnic minorities in the country have for decades been engaged in armed struggle for greate