Gandar Mount P.S.O

Documentry film-makers from Australia risked their lives to go into jungle of the Shan land although there were some risks in every adventure.

They were keen to know about opium growth, opum trade, heroin refineries and who were controlling biggest heroin product-ion in the Shan State? etc.

They however wanted to know most was about Khun Sa and his army, Wa army, Go Gang group and
Nationalist groups revolted against the Burmese Government.

The interview made in evening and 2 hours long.

Major Koan Mong was responsible to answer the questions and said “I’m read to respond frankly to your questions, Go ahead please!”

Q: How your SSA army’s situation currently ?
A: The situation of the SSA was currently in crisis and it was to be considered.

Q: What had really happen to your army ?
A: Our leaders Col. Sam Mong, Divisional Commander, and Col. Pan Aung, Senior financier in the party had been disappeared since in August 1978 in Thai soil. We believed that they were dead. It’s the great lost and it’s also the main reason that the SSA had to be confronted with difficulties. The 2 men had been trusted and highly respected by their subordinates. In the previous days the SSA with 4,000 strengths had been the second strongest force among the revolutionary groups in Burma while the Karin KNDO was the largest Army and being the most revolutionist. We anyway would continue our political movement.

Q: We believed that currently Khun Sa’s Shan United Army holding with modern military equipments was the strongest.How did you think that?
A: Yes it’s sure,but he’s not the politician and his armed force had not been fighting against the Government forces basing through-out Shan State. He had been doing for his own rich which being large involved with heroin trade.

Q: Howmany refinery he had and howmany ton the refinery was capable to produce pure white heroin ,estimatedly, and where did the heroin go?
A: Not less than 5 refineris around the mountainous areas of Loimaw west of Salween river where raw opium was collected as Loimaw was his native place. Vast productive opium- field was also under his strict control. Besides, opium from others merchants and privade collectors in Tang Yan district sold their opium to him. Refined heroin, it’s depending on the demand, had to be stocked as one “massive demanded massive productive”. Escalating heroin activity, from the switch to a biannual harvest by poppy farmers in the Shan State to doubling of heroin addicts in the USA. Accompanies the growing influence of the triads. Throughout much of the 1980s the USA attempted to curb the supply of heroin by providing Burma with millions of US dollars for poppy fields eradication efforts.This had minimal effect, and the US suspended all aid to the Burmese Government because of its brutal supression of a nationwide Democracy movement. Since then, heroin on US street had become more abundant than ever before. That was after Khun Sa moved to Ma Hin Dek, on Thai border of Chieng Rai,1976. According to mutual interests, which had made between Burmese Junta and Khun Sa in April 1973,Khun Sa drew up the six years plan for the control and eradication of opium and opium related crops. It was doubted that the plan was created by the Burmese and the Warlord was urged to do. Khun Sa ,as the opium King, promised to corporate with internation community to fight against narcotic drugs and submitted his six years plan. This was rejected by the Carter Administration on July in the same year.

Q: Had you ever met the opium King before? We would like to know about his Drugs transportion route and his drug gangs abroad including Australia?
A: No,I had never seen him but we as the Political group always observed and detected any armed group active in the Shan State. Therefore we tracked down Khun Sa’s every step.

- More interested Q And A on drug be continued -

STEVEN LO AND WIFE CECILIA NG

CECILIA NG

LO SHIN MIN                            GEN. KHIN NYUNT

CHINESE TEMPLE IN LASHIO

The Go Gang Force of drug running headed by Lo Shin Han and the Khun Sa’s drug trafficking force had been once engaged strongly in mid 1973.

The heavy fighting bursted out when the Khun Sa’ soldiers promptly ambushed the Go Gang armed troops of goods transportaion from the Thai border of Mae Hong Son.

About 50 horses, on back of which goods included textiles, shoes, clothes, electrical appliances and radio- cassettes are loaded, guarded by about 100 armed Go Gang Chineses tried to escape the stormed fires from battle field as they did not want to lose their belongings.

The strong exchanged fires spent almost 3 days in which Go Gang group suffered heavy casualities.

Ten horses with loaded goods left behind were seized by 800 strentgh of Khun Sa’s force, it was initially SUA (Shan United Army), differently basing around mountainous areas strategically under control by the strong Shan State Army (SSA), the real Nationalist group.

Khun Sa’s force headed by Fa Lung and Khun Seng fled to SSA’s area for shelter after being Khun Sa was arrested by the Burmese Ruler on 17 October 1969.

He was in jail for 6 years and outside jail under training of Burmese Military Intelligence Service for over a year.

He was later said to have signed an agreement of Mutual interests with the Burmese Junta.

After Khun Sa was released on 7 Februay 1976, his force was swiftly moved to Ma Hin Dek border of Chiang Rai in ordre to build the SUA Headquaters where Khun Sa was able to reinfoce his army and had become strong Army in a shot time.

Khun Sa’s armed force which attacks Go Gang defence force was angered Lo Shin Han.

The Go Gang Boss at that time confronting with serious crisis that the Burmese Govrnment had isued an urgent ordered to capture him and his family and to eradicate his opium trade with Ku Ming Tong and its Burmese Commnistally.

Therefore the way he could do is run away.He also fled to SSA.

British Documentry film-maker Adrian Cowel had apportunity to record the fightings.

Consequently, both drug lords, the long time bitter enemies, have become friends in Burma.

Gen.Khin Nyunt was the peace maker.

The General at that time was dubbed as TV star but said anti Gen.Moung Aye who prefers “the rebels must surrender, no talk for cease-fire to them.”

Lo Shin Han and his business partners have been doing the drug businese under control of the Government in Burma for over 3 decades, since 1974, the Govenment of Ne Win, until today.

But he and his brother Lo Shin Min began to do their drug business in Go Gang State since about 1960 with freedom and without Burmese’s harassment.

Besides the drug trafficking, white and rediquors were also produced which widely distribued throughout the Shan State.

At that time he was offered to establish “Go Gang Defence Force” which inclded 300 strength of Go Gang Chinese only, to protect the rebel groups, the Shan State Army, the Burmese Communist and Ku Ming Tong (KMT) by the Ne Win Government.

Arms and military equipments were collected in Mae Sai.

Lo Shin Min set a drug distributed center in Ta Ki Lek opposite Mae Sai boder town.

Lo Sin Han’s Company at that time was able to refine opium into Mitsu (No.3 pink color) only not yet No.4 white heroin.

The Ku Ming Tong forces led by Gen.Lee 3rd Brigade commander and Gen.Doan 5th Brigade commander defeated by the communist in 1949, took sanctury in Shan State by the thousands.

By then, due to KMT’s promotion policy couple with Burmese economic mismanagement and secret encouragement, popy cultivation and opium trading had jumped on a shockingly rapid scale.

Lo Shin Han, as the opium trader,was secreatly cntacted by the KMT for opium trade.

The secret friendships between the Go Gang and the KMT (the KMT has already joined Burma Commnist and attacked Khun Sa’s army and the Burmese army as frequently) leaked out after yearslong.

In 1973, the Government proclaimed that Lo Shin Han was the traitor and must be given to dead-sentence.Lo Shin Han narrowly escaped and fled to the Shan State Army’s controlled area of Mong Yai township, northern Shan State, and asked for security.

All of his folowers scatteringly fled to the jungle with arms.

Arrival of Lo Shin Han was coincident with making Documentry of Shan’s revolutionary movement by Britishs AdrianCowel and Chris, the Britishs.

Lo Shin Han’s plan was to stay in Thailan so that he asked the SSA leader to send him to Thai border.

In return,he provides financial assistance to SSA.

Lo had met Shan leaders including Soe Leant, Commander in Chief, Buan Tai, Chairman and Col.Sam Mong, Divisional commander in the area.

Shan leaders agreed to Lo’s wish and set a security troops for a week long by on foot to the border.

But before reaching Mae Hong Son boder, in Mong Mai area, the Thai Border Police force promptly captured him and despatched to Bangkok and later repatriated to Rangoon.

Thai and Burmese had signed agreement that repatriation of criminals.

– To be continued –

Wa army is not an exceptionally disciplined but well equiped, and spirited self defense force that secures their borders from all invaders.

The solidarity of their free people insures their continued security.

They control their reginal and the drugs that pass trough it.

They can keep trafficking and elevate future growing.

To do it only requires resonable assistance and cooperation in economic dependency opium.

Their produced heroin were flown to Saigon for sale and export.

The heroin production was accelerated to help finance Wa Troops mercenary.

Worldwide drug supression could not be able to stop production and distribution of opium products.

Thai autorities had spent billions of dollars to stop solely white heroin in Thai territory.

The heroins in the Shan State and Afghanistan are preferablely transported to the New York, yet trafficking steadily escalated.

Yearly, between 800-900 tonns of raw opium are produced in Go Gang, Wa and Shan States.

The Burmese Ruler instead eagerly urges the qualified producers to produce best quality as the opium is called as “Burma’s tree money”.

And the Wa leaders have ever declared that Thailand alone could rapidly raise massive money by selling drug-pills (alias) methamphetamines produced 5 millions pills a day, no demands from other countries.

The Burmese is being able to collect massive money from the Wa as the concessionaries.

(Related storry will be continued)

There are four big groups being profitablely involved with the Drug Trafficking in the Shan State are (1) Go Gang group, (2) Khun Sa’s group, (3) Lao Gai group and (4) Wa group.

These groups’s leaders are strictedly ordered to provide annual tax to military Ruler.

Therefore the drug producers are freed from the seizure while making their drug shipments, from the opium-fields to the refineries bases, as well as the transmital of the pure white heroin to destinations out side the country.

Their outgrowing drugtrafficking business are being able to pay the annual tax.

Apart from the drug traficking, Gem, Jade, Teak wood, Hotel and textile factory and there are many import and export business.

They have been maintaining good relations with the Military Government and never against the Government’s policy.

The most important is to keep internal peace as well as to be helpful to protect the various dangers from the external.

The strategic map is shown the bases of heroin refineries which are consecutively controled.

(related story will be more).