Gandar Mount P.S.O

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 –

The Burmese Military Rulers had since a decade ago been trying to demoralize the American soldiers and youths by abusing drugs because of the US Government had been interfering with its administration of the government.

Uprising in the country had to be occurred time after time as the Washinton D.C forced Rangoon to change its long-standing policy of humanright abused in the country and to practice democracy.

The US’s policy is intented to provide assistance to only Democratic country, but the Burmese ignores the US’s intentionally aid.

The US had ignored the Burmese’s officially offer that it could destroy the opium production in the Shan State within 15 years if the US Government provide financial assistance.

The US autority instead provided 300 millions US dollar to Thai anti-narcotic authorities for drugs eradicatoion.

In mid 1993 another financil aid, 250 millions dollars for the drugs eradiction, to Thais provided by US Ambassador to Thailand Mr.David Lambutson.

This conduct made both Khun Sa and the Burmese Junta shocked.The consecutive American Government rejected to consider Khun Sa’s asking for US assistance as rebeatedly.

For this count, Khun Sa has non-stop drugs transported to the American People.

Fa Lung (Chang Shi Swen), the military in chief and powerful commander in the MTA.

Khun Seng is financial contrller and major management in drugs trading business while Khun Sa himself playing in Political role which is apparently illusive movement of the opium warlord.

All of these men are the ruthless.

There had been many internal management problems since the joined hands merged and the Shan army commanders of the TRA who against the Chinese’s leading unfair policy were fatally killed by gunshot. The killing mostly conducted in the fightings betwen TRA and Burmese, between Wa and TRA,between TRA and Lahu force.

The numerous balltles broke out across the south and east of the Shan State.

The kill behind motive is to root up the hero Shan fighters and real Nationalists struggling for the Freedom as to approve the good relationships between Burmese Government and Khun Sa.

The Shans have lost their lives with meaningless.

However, the drug business of Khun Sa is gainful as he had high aspirations.

In 1987 to 1993 opium production in the Shan State alone is 750 tonns annually and the region is responsible for roughly 50 tonns of heroin.

The whole-sale value of the drug would then be well over US 2 billion dollar.

Therefore, Khun Sa is able to collect well arms and thousands of ammunition and highly powerful equipments for military operation which have been stimulate him to extend influence along the Thai border linking to borders of Lao and China by built strong bases.

Khun Sa has achived his strong will and is smart to build his own empire with hardship of struggle.
But his wrong doing of killing the Shan comrades make him to lose his empire promptly when the patriotic Shan soldiers recuperate and resurrect their forces from the joit-force MTA after being the death of More Haing.

(MORE TO BE CONTINUED)

Khun Sa counter claimed that the KMT’s high-ranking officials refine the Wa’s tonns of raw 0pium into heroin in Thai soil.

“The opium trade has indeed enriched many KMT remnants but the stigma of opium warlord falls not on them,but on unfortunately on me ….I am only a scapegoat,” he said.

To take a revang on the bitter rivals, a large bomb planted by Khun Sa’s men blew up the Chiang Mai residence of Gen.

Lee Wan Huan, the former KMT’s 3rd Army commander, in Much 1986.

Nocasualty but the explosion damaged home seriously.

Besides this,the KMT key members in drug business are murdered by gun shot consecutively in Chieng Mai,Chieng Rai, Mae Sai and Fang.

The Head Quarters of the KMT in Tam Ngop and Nong Uk of Chieng Dao, Mae Salong of Chieng Rai
have to be abandoned (These areas are later developed by the Thai).

But the drug connections of Khun Sa managed by his men in Thailand are able to extend
to Australia, US and South East Asia.

His painful struggle against the aggressors gained alittle attention from the world community.

Popular as he is with his men, it is not entirely clear where Khun Sa’s political loyalties lie.

Although supposedly fighting for independence from the Government, the mongtai army MTA actually to expend most of its firepower on its rival insurgents (BCP).

This reflects a secret nonagression pact with the Government.

American drug agents also charge that Khun Sa’s anti-communism has not stopped him from buying raw opium from the BCP.

He maintains as “My people need to grow opium to make a living”.

He also has managed to work his way to the head of Sha nationalist.

Mo Haing nominally heads the TRC but his subodinates including senior politicians and military commanders believed that Khun Sa excercise the muscle.

For his personality and power, he remains in a precarious position.

He’s at odds with his drug rivals, Wa, the KMT and BCP and he’s a virtual prisoner in the border zone.

With the Burmese army on one side and the Thai and DEA on the other.

Kun Sa’s future might be considered even less certain than that of the Shan State.

But he is a proven survivor and he has an opium crop in Loi Maw area in west Salwin river.

With an estimate 4,000 soldiers well equipped operating 10 to 12 heroin laboratories, they range from small, makeshift operations in the backwoods to well-equipped laboratories employing as many as 60 chemists and technicians.

On 16 April 1977, Congressman Lester Wolf who was Chairman of the US House Select Committee on Narcotics, sent his emissary, Joseph Nellis to meet Khun Sa, dubbed by the US Narcotics Agency and the press as the Opium King. He promised to cooperate with the intercommunity to fight against narcotic drugs and submitted his six years plan. This was rejected by the Carter Administration on 18 July in the same year. His later diplomatic efforts also came to naught, on 21 January 1982 the Thai’s strong Border Patrol Police hired by the DEA, attacked his base in Ma Hin Tak. Since then altogether forty attacks have been launched against his army and all have failed to produce any concrete results to justify the subsequent losses brought about on both sides by these ventures.

Instead of attacking us, you should engage in teaching our people to substitute crops, build roads for them and buy their agricultural products. How can you expect the Shan people to stop opium without offering them assistance and restoration of their rights in return ?

The road to Shan Independence is through the opium issue because in the strategic calculations of the superpowers our Shan State is only a small country which is better ignored, except for its opium production. So we muust strive to keep it under control at all time. with the Idependence of the Shan State, the country which will be benefit the most will be Thailand. There was one Thai official who, while visiting me, spoke ill of the Laotions and the Vietnamese. I said: ”It’s not their fault. It’s the Amricans and Russians and yours. Your fault lies in depending too much on the Americans. If you have courage enough to stand on your own feet and take the lead, we can also become a power to be considered with in the world”, the Opium King stressed. (He welcomes the Ammerican who interview him in the jungle base of Ho Mong near the Thai border).

Regrettably, the Thai Government has no policy of accepting refugees from the Shan State.

Whereas refugees from Karen, Karenni, Mon States have been granted temporary asylum in Thailand and the right to receive “Humanitarian Assistance from International Aid Organizations” Shan refugees fleeing to Thailand have been repeatedly push back across the border by Thai authorities.

The result of the Thai policy has meant that until the present, any fleeing to Thai soil have been forced to try survive as illegal migrants. The risk and difficulties this involves have compounded their suffering.

Up until now, there has been no official Thai acknowledgement of huge influx of Shan refugees.

High numbers of Shan crossing the border to find job while a huge demand for migrant laborers in the Thai construction industry . Construction in Thailand is booming and contractors prefer to hire migrant laborers as the coast is much cheaper.

It can be estimated that a minimum of 2,000 Shans cross over during a month. A large scale arrests of refugees that occurred daily in border. It is likely that Thai authorities are not aware of the exodus caused by the forced relocation. It can only be assumed that as long as the official Thai policy is to deny asylum for Shan refugees.

It is expedient to deny that the problem exists.