Burmese drug baron selling giant ja (r)

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Subject: Burmese drug baron selling giant jade

Friday July 11 3:21 AM EDT 

Burmese drug baron selling giant jade

BANGKOK, July 11 (UPI) _ Southeast Asia's most-wanted drug trafficker is 
reported to be offering to sell the world's biggest precious stone to 
the highest bidder. 

The Bangkok Post reports today a source close to opium warlord Khun Sa 
says the 200-ton hunk of jade is being marketed to prospective buyers 
from Taiwan and the Middle East. 

Khun Sa's son, Chao Cham Huang, has been put in charge of selling the 
stone, which is stored in a secret location in the central Shan State of 
eastern Burma, near the Mongkut mine where it was found. 

Until his surrender to Burmese military authorities in January 1996, 
Khun Sa ruled a vast area and commanded an army of up to 20,000 well- 
armed troops financed by his opium and heroin sales. 

But Burma's ruling military junta has refused all requests to extradite 
Khun Sa to the United States, where he is wanted on heroin smuggling 
charges. 

The half-Shan, half-Chinese warlord is now reported to be living under 
government protection at a private villa in Rangoon. 

He is also reported to have diversified into the hotel business in 
partnership with several senior Burmese military officers. A 200-room, 
five-star hotel in which Khun Sa is the main investor is scheduled to 
open for business later this year. 



"THERE WILL BE NO REAL DEMOCRACY IF WE CAN'T GURANTEE THE RIGHTS OF THE 
MINORITY ETHNIC PEOPLE.  ONLY UNDERSTANDING THEIR SUFFERING AND HELPING 
THEM TO EXERCISE THEIR RIGHTS WILL ASSIST PREVENTING FROM THE 
DISINTEGRATION AND THE SESESSION."  "WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING THEIR 
STRENGTH, WE CAN'T TOPPLE THE SLORC AND BURMA WILL NEVER BE IN PEACE."


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