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SCMP-Drug lord spreads trade 'with



Subject: SCMP-Drug lord spreads trade 'with help of generals'

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South China Morning Post-Wednesday, November 17, 1999
MEKONG REGION

Drug lord spreads trade 'with help of generals'
BURMA by WILLIAM BARNES in Bangkok=20

A Burmese drug warlord has spread his business south in a move almost =
inconceivable without the complicity of the military regime, sources =
say.=20
Wei Hsueh-kang - commander of the "southern" faction of a notorious =
ethnic Wa army - had widened his operations to an area opposite the Thai =
border town of Mae Sot, border sources said.=20

Wei normally operates out of a heavily armed enclave sited above =
Thailand's northern Chiang Mai province.=20

His drug factories are believed to be the most important source of the =
devastating wave of amphetamines that are currently flooding Thailand.=20

He is understood to have established four more amphetamine plants =
opposite Thailand's Tak province - hundreds of kilometres from rivals =
and perhaps allowing him easier access to trafficking routes.=20

The generals in Rangoon have repeatedly claimed they are powerless to =
suppress traffickers and can only hope to persuade them to eventually =
turn into legitimate businessmen.=20

But critics believe this is a convenient excuse for a government that =
directly or indirectly uses drug profits to prop up its sagging economy =
and to help keep 16 or so ceasefire deals with ethnic rebel factions in =
place.=20

But the scores of Wa warriors who are thought to have moved down along =
the border to secure the factories would clearly not pose a strong =
threat to Burma's bloated, if poorly motivated, armed forces.=20

Thai intelligence sources suggest the tough Wa fighters might be used to =
batter the remnants of the Karen National Union, which is still engaged =
in a fight for autonomy that has lasted more than 50 years.=20

This would be appropriate since it was as proxy fighters for the Burmese =
that the United Wa State Army (UWSA) was used to inflict several defeats =
earlier in the 1990s on the now defunct army of Khun Sa - the most =
infamous warlord of all.=20

After Khun Sa was forced to "retire" to Rangoon in early 1996, Wei =
became a pivotal figure in what the US State Department has called "the =
world's biggest armed narcotics trafficking organisation".=20

When the US put a US$2 million (HK$15.4 million) price on his head in =
June last year Wei quickly scuttled off to Rangoon to reassure himself =
that his "immunity" from extradition or persecution was still good, =
Jane's Defence Review noted.=20

Confirmation of Wei's relatively good relations with Rangoon was the =
visit to his Shan state headquarters by Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt, =
the powerful Burmese intelligence chief, on October 1 - the day that =
five dissidents seized the country's embassy in Bangkok.=20

Burma was furious with Thailand for letting the dissidents go free but =
remains unapologetic about its ties to traffickers.=20

"[Burma's] method of trying to create legitimate businesses to make a =
decent living and stop their dependency on poppy cultivation is the only =
workable solution and should be given support," said an official =
statement defending the general's meeting with Wei.=20

The Bangkok Post argued after this meeting that the regime's "tacit =
approval of Wei's drug activities can only add to the regime's foul =
reputation as a real danger to the wellbeing of the global community of =
nations".=20

The already deeply irritated Thais will be furious to learn that =
amphetamine factories have been allowed to spring up in a border area =
hitherto relatively free of traffickers.=20

Ironically, the rebel Karen army that operates in the region and is =
loathed by Rangoon severely punishes anyone it catches trading in drugs. =


There are several reasons why Wei might take the provocative step of =
starting up production in what is essentially virgin territory drugwise. =


Like other Golden Triangle traffickers, he is continuously hunting =
around for better, more secure bases and boltholes.=20

The China-born entrepreneur might also want to distance part of his =
operations from the ethnic Wa leaders of the UWSA who, based in their =
headquarters on the Chinese border, deeply distrust his close relations =
with the junta.=20

The Wa "northern" command has moved several thousand battle-hardened =
troops near to Wei's headquarters in recent years.=20

Western narcotics experts say traffickers like Wei almost certainly =
channel large sums of money to senior soldiers who are nominally paid =
the equivalent of a few dollars a month.=20

But unlike some of his rivals Wei does not even have the "ethnic =
defence" of needing drug money to support his people.=20

No country in the region will openly give him refuge, yet, being ethnic =
Chinese, he has no legal right to a Burmese passport.=20

In other words, his future is almost entirely in the hands of the =
generals in Rangoon.=20

"It must take a lot of money to keep the generals compliant," said an =
informed source.=20

"He's got to keep making it."=20


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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>
<DIV>South China Morning Post-Wednesday, November 17, 1999<BR>MEKONG=20
REGION</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Drug lord spreads trade 'with help of generals'<BR>BURMA by WILLIAM =
BARNES=20
in Bangkok </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>A Burmese drug warlord has spread his business south in a move =
almost=20
inconceivable without the complicity of the military regime, sources =
say.=20
<BR>Wei Hsueh-kang - commander of the "southern" faction of a notorious =
ethnic=20
Wa army - had widened his operations to an area opposite the Thai border =
town of=20
Mae Sot, border sources said. </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Wei normally operates out of a heavily armed enclave sited above =
Thailand's=20
northern Chiang Mai province. </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>His drug factories are believed to be the most important source of =
the=20
devastating wave of amphetamines that are currently flooding Thailand. =
</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>He is understood to have established four more amphetamine plants =
opposite=20
Thailand's Tak province - hundreds of kilometres from rivals and perhaps =

allowing him easier access to trafficking routes. </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>The generals in Rangoon have repeatedly claimed they are powerless =
to=20
suppress traffickers and can only hope to persuade them to eventually =
turn into=20
legitimate businessmen. </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>But critics believe this is a convenient excuse for a government =
that=20
directly or indirectly uses drug profits to prop up its sagging economy =
and to=20
help keep 16 or so ceasefire deals with ethnic rebel factions in place. =
</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>But the scores of Wa warriors who are thought to have moved down =
along the=20
border to secure the factories would clearly not pose a strong threat to =
Burma's=20
bloated, if poorly motivated, armed forces. </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Thai intelligence sources suggest the tough Wa fighters might be =
used to=20
batter the remnants of the Karen National Union, which is still engaged =
in a=20
fight for autonomy that has lasted more than 50 years. </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>This would be appropriate since it was as proxy fighters for the =
Burmese=20
that the United Wa State Army (UWSA) was used to inflict several defeats =
earlier=20
in the 1990s on the now defunct army of Khun Sa - the most infamous =
warlord of=20
all. </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>After Khun Sa was forced to "retire" to Rangoon in early 1996, Wei =
became a=20
pivotal figure in what the US State Department has called "the world's =
biggest=20
armed narcotics trafficking organisation". </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>When the US put a US$2 million (HK$15.4 million) price on his head =
in June=20
last year Wei quickly scuttled off to Rangoon to reassure himself that =
his=20
"immunity" from extradition or persecution was still good, Jane's =
Defence Review=20
noted. </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Confirmation of Wei's relatively good relations with Rangoon was =
the visit=20
to his Shan state headquarters by Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt, the =
powerful=20
Burmese intelligence chief, on October 1 - the day that five dissidents =
seized=20
the country's embassy in Bangkok. </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Burma was furious with Thailand for letting the dissidents go free =
but=20
remains unapologetic about its ties to traffickers. </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>"[Burma's] method of trying to create legitimate businesses to make =
a=20
decent living and stop their dependency on poppy cultivation is the only =

workable solution and should be given support," said an official =
statement=20
defending the general's meeting with Wei. </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>The Bangkok Post argued after this meeting that the regime's "tacit =

approval of Wei's drug activities can only add to the regime's foul =
reputation=20
as a real danger to the wellbeing of the global community of nations". =
</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>The already deeply irritated Thais will be furious to learn that=20
amphetamine factories have been allowed to spring up in a border area =
hitherto=20
relatively free of traffickers. </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Ironically, the rebel Karen army that operates in the region and is =
loathed=20
by Rangoon severely punishes anyone it catches trading in drugs. </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>There are several reasons why Wei might take the provocative step =
of=20
starting up production in what is essentially virgin territory drugwise. =
</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Like other Golden Triangle traffickers, he is continuously hunting =
around=20
for better, more secure bases and boltholes. </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>The China-born entrepreneur might also want to distance part of his =

operations from the ethnic Wa leaders of the UWSA who, based in their=20
headquarters on the Chinese border, deeply distrust his close relations =
with the=20
junta. </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>The Wa "northern" command has moved several thousand =
battle-hardened troops=20
near to Wei's headquarters in recent years. </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Western narcotics experts say traffickers like Wei almost certainly =
channel=20
large sums of money to senior soldiers who are nominally paid the =
equivalent of=20
a few dollars a month. </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>But unlike some of his rivals Wei does not even have the "ethnic =
defence"=20
of needing drug money to support his people. </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>No country in the region will openly give him refuge, yet, being =
ethnic=20
Chinese, he has no legal right to a Burmese passport. </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>In other words, his future is almost entirely in the hands of the =
generals=20
in Rangoon. </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>"It must take a lot of money to keep the generals compliant," said =
an=20
informed source. </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>"He's got to keep making it." <BR></DIV></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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