Lo Hsing-han Making Money by Buildi

[shan@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

Subject: Lo Hsing-han Making Money by Building Roads: 

23 July 1999

Lo Hsing-han Making Money by Building Roads 

Lo Hsing-han, the man known as the first drug kingpin, is making a lot of
money
after he had won contracts for building roads, said SHAN source in the
north on
18 July. 

Following his successful brokerage between the Rangoon junta and various
non-Burman armed groups, Lo Hsing-han, who was jailed by the present junta's
predecessor from 1973 - 1980 for high treason, won several business contracts,
one of them to build and improve roads in the Shan State. 

After the Lashio - Muse road was upgraded by his Asia World Company in 1998, 4
tollgates (in Lashio, Hsenwi, Kutkhai and at Milestone 105) were set up along
the road to levy tolls from the passing motor vehicles. The rates are reported
to be as follows: 

K. 100 for a saloon van 
K. 300 for a pickup 
K. 500 for a four or six wheeler 
K. 1,000 for an empty 8 - 10 wheelers 
(a loaded one pays according to the weights of the merchandise) 

One interesting fact is that the vehicles from the ceasefire groups are all
exempted, said the source. 

"Beginning last year, his Asia Would Company has been upgrading the Hsenwi -
Kunlong highway (53 miles) which is nearly finished now", said he. "The next
project is the upgrading of Muse - Namkham road (19 miles) which skirts along
the Chinese border, and then the Namkham - Bhamo road (50 miles plus)". 

Apart from that, Lo, with the help of his son, Stephen Law a.k.a Htun Myint
Naing, who is the managing director of the AWC, has taken over the job of
improving the Lashio - Nawngkhio highway from the bankrupt Diamond Paris
Company owned collectively by the generals' wives. 

"News on the grapevine is that he'll also be contracted to improve the
roads in
the southern Shan State leading from Taunggyi to Kengtung", he added. 

The AWC also has building construction contracts in Mandalay as well as
Rangoon. "But it does not seem to be able to compete with other firms in this
field", said the source. 

As for agricultural projects, he is reported to have bought land
confiscated by
the junta from the local populace. "All of it is along the Hsenwi - Lashio -
Hsipaw road, about 50,000 acres". 
"Another thing", he finally reported. "The AWC vehicles are never stopped or
searched on the way by any checkpoints. I keep hearing from the people here
that for anyone who wants his drugs transported, there is no more secure way
than by procuring the services of the AWC". 

/// END \\\ 
For further information, please contact S.H.A.N. at: 
Shan Herald Agency for News. 
P.O. Box. 15 
Nonghoi P.O., 50007 
Chiangmai 
Thailand 
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