Gandar Mount P.S.O

Had the trafficking of Heroin alarm Australians?

In 1981, being in crisis situation, the SSA force scattered throughout Shan State and had been trying to survive by recollecting funds, which mostly taxed live-stock, opium, gems, antiques and sandalwood, from various merchandisers who crossed Salween River from west to east bank and continued to Thai borders of Mae Hong Son, Chiang Dao and Mae Sai.

The regrouped SSA soldiers commanded by Major Koan Mong as a breadwinner set tax collecting points in three ferries along east bank of the river, each route of ferry which is major link to the districts borders. The goods made in Thailand were also taxed when its merchants returned homes.

During a month alone hundreds of various traders included Chinese from Go Gang State, Ka Chin State, Shan State, Mo Goke, Mandalay etc, traveling by on foot and horses, using them as goods carriers, to the Thai border while Salween river was the main interim of the long journey.

The trip between the river and the border spent about 3 days if no harassment on the way.

Sometime Burmese armed troops robbed merchants while they were on patrol, fighting between armed drug-trafficking groups and the Burmese patrolled forces were also often busted out in mountainous ares as well.

The Burmese soldiers, when they are in the jungle, were accused as the robbers.

They might have been instructed by their big master in the Regiment.

Three Austrians, the Film-makers of Documentary which was said to have concerned with “Drugs and Politics” in Shan State of Burma, arrived in east Salween River to meet the SSA members by crossing Mae Hong Son border.

They only said they were from Australia and had contacted UPI (Unite Press International) based in Bangkok to be here.

They firstly met the SSA’s liaison officer in Mae Hong Son and then moved forwards to the river escorted by Shan guards.

They stayed there for 4 days to take pictures of various travelers and mule-caravan moving across west bank to east bank of the river.

The three in fact wished to go inner-most of the battle fields and opium-grow in central Shan State, if they had an opportunity, as hoped to record on exchanged fires between rebels and Burmese.

SSA could could not guarantee for their safety.

Interested interview had conducted, is it true that Australia is being transit- point of Drug trafficking?

—be continued—

Khun Sa continued order his gun men to kill his rival, the quality leaders of the SSA Nationalists, 2 years after the killing of Col. Sam Mong and his comrades.

Col. Pan Aung, Sao Boon Dai, President of the Political wing in the party, and Sao Seng Han, Foreign Affairs, were consecutively killed by closerange gun-shot in downtown Chiang Mai.

Soe Zung and Sao Boon Dai, both had frequently denounced Khun Sa’s policy as it was similar to the policy of former Cambodian Leader Bhon Pot.

Similar death occurred in Mae Hong Son when Major Sam Lek and Major Sam Car, SSA section commanders ,were shot near their homes in Kar Harn village outskirts Mae Hong Son.

The last one to be killed was Col.Sai Lek who accepted Khun Sa’s invitation that to work for the combined forces under leaders of KhunSa and Moe Haing, whose Mong Tai Army (MTA) established on 3 March 1985.

After Moe Haing died in 1991, Sai Lek with his men moved to Mong Mai headquarter and stayed there for months- long only, he suffered serious illness for a week under intensive care by a Shan Medical Dr., who is the regular Doctor (forgot his name) at Ho Mong Headquarters.

He had been responsible for the killing of Col.Sai Lek as he was seen to have injected medicine into Sai Lek’s blood-stream.

Sai Lek died at 5 am ,according to his personal guadrs and his friends sitting around him.

VDO camera had recorded the incidence of Sai Lek’s situation, being under ill treatment of the Doctor, until his death.

It was beyond doubt that Khun Sa oredred the killing.

It could not believe that such a man with tough body ,aged a bout 45,was easily died by minor illness.

He, half India-half Shan, as battalion commander had been known as one of the most active in military operrations and wanted by the Government.

His armed struggle in the jungle as long as about 25 year and with much experience of a series of fightings against the Burmese army had always rejected cease-fire talks with the Burmese.

But when the SSA was undermined and in the situation of political turning point, Col. Sai Lek Coincidenly accepted Khun Sa’s offer which he never thought that would be dangerous to his life.

It was also miscount of the victim.

Another top leader wanted by the Burmese and remained to be slain was Sao Wai, the son of first President of Burma Sao Shwe Theik, moved to Canada with his family from Chieng Mai.

He had been also invited by Khun Sa twice to head politics in the party.

He quited the politics since Col. Sam Mong disappeared and living in Chieng Mai long time as ordinary people before leaving for Canada for good.

Between 1978-1996 (in the period of 17 years)

The Shan soldiers, in a dilema, had to make a decisive answer for their future after being no return of their leaders.

Synchronously, some returned to the strongholds in the northern Shan State while others joined the SURA (Shan United Revolution Army) headed by Moe Haing.

The news of brutal assasination of the three behaved by Fa Lung and Khun Sa had to be concealed as could as poosible to save their dignity.

The murder of the three might not satisfy the Burmese Military Ruler so that Khun Sa must carry on the killing.

The top leaders and high-ranking officers active in the SSA’s political wing and military-operation commanders were to be slain.

To carry out this assignment, Khun Sa needed more time to have a good chance for his gunmen who stand up to the enemy and are involed with gun-running as well.

Khun Sa had many chances to fatally shoot the SSA member one by one after the SSA was seperated into four groups.

(1) Group led by Col.Soe Tent made cease-fire with the Government, (2) Group headed by Col.Sam Mai joined Moe Haing’s SURA force, (3) Group of High-Ranking politicians included Sao Boon Dai, Sao Wai, Khun Jar Nu, Sao Seng Han and Soe Zung, all were not only highly educated from Rangoon University but also well talking in English, retired and stayed in Chiang Mai and, (4) Group being the armed soldiers under command of Col.Sai Lek continued armed struggle around Namp Kham and Mu Se aeras closed China border.

Another one, also important in the Shan Revolution Council and Commander in chief, was Sao Soe Leant, graduated in Political Science, with his wife and 5 children surrendered to the Government because of disappointed with disunity in the party as well as its influence had been diminished.

As the members in the Shan group were separated and staying in different places.

Therefore they were the target of shooting and coincidently the victims were negligent in assasination disposed by Khun Sa.

The consecutive assasination carried on in Chieng Mai as Shan leaders were shot down in different ocasions one by one.

The dead were Soe Zung, Sao Seng Han and Sao Boon Dai.

—– Related story to be continued —–

Wa chief Pao U Ho and Pao U Shan, the brothers, who in their young aged has been longtime in the Bumese Communist Party as armed troops commander, known as Red Wa Faction and attacked the Burmese soldiers frequently in the Shan State while the communists tried to penetrate into Burma plain via northern Shan Sate where the strong S.S.A force had been basing.

At that time the Communist leaders and the S.S.A had already agreed for joint-military operations against the Governmentis invasion.

About 1987, when the Communist defuncted, the Wa regroped and became the Reginal Defence Force strength about 1,400 troops under agreement of the Government.

But they rejected to surreder their arms because of not the political activists.

From that time on Wa had been able to expanded their opium-growth and porduced tonns of raw opium but did not have experience in refined heroin.

In 1980, Wa leaders met Wai Xu Gong, Wai Xu Lin and Wai Xu Yin, three are dubbed as “Wai Brothers” among the drug traffickers.

They fled Khun Sa’s MTA and joined the Wa through a middle man for the drug refinery, since then Wa youths are sent to Chinna to learn Chinese curriculum.

The youths have konwledge of Chinese traditional culture, civilizationas and well society.

They later became the businesesslike to work for the group.

Wai Xu Gong had been imprisoned in Bangkok charged him as drug trafficker, but he in luck managed to escape from the jail by his assistants.

Using a lot of money for the escape.

So that he dad been wanted among the Drug traffickers.

Pao U Shan has been also wanted.

Pao U Ho died of decease in August 2007.

Their permanent Headquartes is located in Pang Sang closed China border.

The top leaders in the Wa group speak Burmese, Shan and Chinese well.

Their partner Hoo ChoonTeing,also the drug mafia, was captured in Hong Kong last year.

The war on drug would nerver be broken again in the region of opium fields as the Burmese regiments are basing throughout the Shan State and have stopped stagging opium crackdowns and never taken action against major peddlers in their midst.

The Burmese special regiment is protecting Wai Xu Gang’s stockpiled million of methamphetamine pills in Doi Phoong hilltop linking to Tardon, Mae Ai boder of Fang district.

The Wai Brothers have vast lichee-orchard in Fang district.

Tin Guan Min was gunned down in a hotel in Kun Min City, China, and Sy Pao was shot dead in front of a hotel in Chieng Mai, Thailand, both are Wa tribes and Wai Xu Gong’s trusted drug agents.

They are believed to have been killed by Khun Sa’ gunmen about 3 or 4 years before the MTA surrendered in 2996.