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.
Famous quotes containing the word ton:
“Hearing your words, and not a word among them
Tuned to my liking, on a salty day
When inland woods were pushed by winds, that flung them
Hissing to leeward like a ton of spray,”
—Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892–1950)