Khun Sa's Shan state empire, believed to be largest supplier of heroin in the world, has broken down at the hands of Burma's ruling Slorc. Bangkok Post Assistant Editor Ralph Bachoe talks to Karen leader General Saw Bo Mya about what happens now to the drug trade.

THE United States will not be able to convince the ruling Burmese military junta to extradite drug warlord Khun Sa to stand trial in the US on drugs charges, according to Karen leader General Saw Bo Mya.

Khun Sa and the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (Slorc) were collaborators in the narcotics business, said Gen Bo Mya. "I have always told the Americans that this is the case."

He was speaking at the recent 3rd Central Committee Meeting of the Democratic Alliance of Burma at an undisclosed location in the Karen National Union 6th Brigade's Headquarters inside Burma.

The Karen leader said Slorc would never hand over Khun Sa to the Americans and that the drug warlord would not be tried in Burmese courts. "Or even if there should be a trial, it will be one of a token nature," he said.

Mention of a $2 million reward America posted for the capture of Khun Sa caused Saw Bo Mya, 67, to burst out in laughter. "America has offered $2 million for Khun Sa's arrest. Now what if Khun Sa turns around and offers Slorc $20 million? Then what would the American government do?"

The Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP), as well as the Slorc, have always been involved in the opium trade, he said. "Now the Slorc dares not hand over Khun Sa to the Americans because they are afraid that he will spill the beans concerning their involvement in the drug business."

Two years ago, when Slorc troops were marching on Khun Sa's stronghold, they turned back after the warlord gave them 40 million kyats ($6.6 million official or 720 million kyat on the black market).

This, Saw Bo Mya said, was disclosed to him by officials of the now-defunct Shan State Army.

Reuters recently quoted an officer of the Mong Tai Army as saying: "Since 1992, Khun Sa paid 500,000 kyats ($5,000 on the black market or $83,333 at the official rate) a month to the general commanding this region ."

Meanwhile, Tin Maung Win, vice-chairman of the Democratic Alliance of Burma, said of Khun Sa's deal with the Slorc: "I don't think it will have an impact as to the. reduction of opium output.

"Production will remain stable or even perhaps increase in tonnage. There is the possibility of many drug bonfires being staged in the near future as a smokescreen to demonstrate their sincerity in drug eradication.

"Second, I would not like to predict the outcome in the wake of the deal cut between Slorc and Khun Sa. However, it comes as a great relief to all of us because in the future authors from around the world, including those from the West, who come out with books like Opium Politics and Burma, and Opium Politics in Asia and Revolutionary Resistance Forces will not be able to make any more blanket accusations against revolutionary forces like us from this day on.

"In the future only the Slorc and Khun Sa will have to be fully responsible when it comes to matters pertaining to opium transactions."

At one time, he said, the Karens were accused of dealing drugs. An influential Thai businessman hinted that Saw Bo Mya and Khun Sa had come to an understanding in the drug trade after they met five years ago at MTA's Ho Mong headquarters.

It was alleged Khun Sa had then paid Saw Bo Mya an undisclosed sum of money. Tin Maung Win claimed the allegation shocked Washington, which believed the rumours.

"So now that Khun Sa has gone over to the Slorc and is no more in the territories occupied by the democratic forces, it has come as a great relief to the revolutionary fighters. Also, now Khun Sa can legally deal in opium with the Slorc's full blessing," he said.

"In addition, Khun Sa's move has also proved a boon to Shan nationalists in the sense that their credibility as freedom fighters would be restored," Tin Maung Win added. Shan nationalists had earlier deserted the Mong Thai Army.

Saw Bo Mya said the Khun Sa-Slorc deal came as no surprise. "From the very beginning Khun Sa has been a Slorc lackey. Before he got into the opium growing business, Khun Sa was leader of the Village Defence Force [local militia] under the BSPP. In return he was given a free hand to deal in opium and guns.

The Village Defense Force, or Ka Kwe Ye, was formed as a deterrent to revolutionary forces fighting the Rangoon junta. Khun Sa was conscripted into the force in 1950. Years later he ran into trouble with the military regime and was jailed for four years before being released in 1973. He later moved to Ho Mong and set up the MTA.

Saw Bo Mya believes the BSPP had told Khun Sa to go underground. "This is because the Burmese military had never seriously staged an attack on the MTA despite receiving 10 helicopters and financial support from the United States to suppress Khun Sa.

"All the Slorc did was to attack the Karens and other minority guerrilla forces," he said.

Before Slorc captured the KNU headquarters at Manerplaw in January 1995, they declared they would launch an attack on Khun Sa's base, and Washington believed them.

"But all they did was to concentrate on Manerplaw while they were not serious in really going after Khun Sa's forces because Slorc forces withdrew from the scene of the battle with the Shans after only two or three days."

The Karen leader had met his Shan counterpart only once to negotiate a deal about stemming the flow of drugs to West Germany. Local press reports, however, said that Saw Bo Mya had visited Ho Mong to buy artillery rounds and also to train the MTA in using landmines. The KNU denied the report.

According to Saw Bo Mya, the reason for the trip to Shan state was to relay a message from a West German named Dr Duther who he had earlier met.

The German, according to Saw Bo Mya, had told him that many youngsters of rich German families are becoming drug addicts and their families were prepared to financially support the cause of drug eradication in their country.

He asked if it would be possible for Saw Bo Mya to contact Khun Sa and convince him to stop heroin production. "If this was possible," said Saw Bo Mya, "the German told me that both Khun Sa and the Karen revolution would be rewarded financially for our efforts. So I undertook the journey."

Describing his meeting, Saw Bo Mya said he told Khun Sa to stop his activities as the world was against drugs.

He said he told Khun Sa: "If you are prepared to work towards opium eradication, Germany is prepared to support you financially, so how much would it cost annually?" Khun Sa was said to have replied that he would require $50 million a year and if that was possible, opium production would be eradicated in six to eight years.

However, Khun Sa told Saw Bo Mya the growing of opium would not be halted immediately, but would be gradually reduced from year to year.

"That was Khun Sa's promise, but the German failed to show up," said Saw Bo Mya.

After his visit, he waited three months for the German to contact him. After he failed to show up, the general concluded the German had probably been killed by drug dealers in Germany.

Saw Bo Mya related another incident concerning the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) when he visited Taiwan around 1976. He said he met a DEA official with whom he discussed the drug problem in the Golden Triangle.

"This official." he said. "told me that the work of eradicating drug production and trafficking is not an easy task. It involves a lot of factors. "Just imagine if we had to drastically crack down on heroin production at one go, what would then come of the DEA workers? They would soon be out of work."

Drawing an analogy between this alleged conversation and the Slorc, a Burmese democratic dissident explained why the Rangoon junta had to have a 300,000-strong military.

He said it would look pointless for Slorc in the eyes of the international community to keep expanding its armed forces if there were no external or internal threats.

So instead of staging an all-out offensive and making it appear that it was difficult to come to terms with the rebels, and by not calling for a ceasefire all these years, the Slorc has been able to justify its arms build-up.

Likewise, the dissident source said, if America had years ago waged an all-out war against drug barons for the immediate cessation of heroin production, the DEA would not exist today.

According to Jack Anderson, a Washington D.C. based columnist 79 US Federal agencies are involved in one capacity or another in dealing with the drug trade from the DEA to the Coast Guard. And this does not include the local police force.

  Back to DE-CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY Index

  Back to SCANDAL HAUNTS TEMPLE MURDERS Index

DE-CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
P.O. Box 58,
Tempe, Arizona 85280
(602) 966-3540
e-mail: quig@dcia.com

(C) 1996 Intelligence Connection