NPR

The 'Shadowlands' Of Southeast Asia's Illicit Networks: Meth, Dancing Queens And More

In his new book, Hello, Shadowlands, journalist Patrick Winn describes how underground crime groups thrive in a region where democracy is in retreat.
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Southeast Asia's economy is booming, increasing at an average of 5 percent per year. Thanks to an expanding consumer market, a young, robust workforce and increasing regional cooperation, it's only expected to grow.

But as it does, so do the region's black markets: drugs, human trafficking, animal trafficking. It's this world of underground organized crime that is the topic of journalist Patrick Winn's new book, Hello, Shadlowlands: Inside the Meth Fiefdoms, Rebel Hideouts and Bomb-Scarred Party Towns of Southeast Asia.

Based in Bangkok, Winn is the and has spent a decade trying to understand how crime groups are allowed to thrive in a region where democracy is in retreat.

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