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—

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.