Why Did Foreigners Frequently Visit the MTA Headquarters

 MTA

Exchange Arms for Peace” were serialized in the Myanmar daily

newspapers and they had stimulated the interest of many readers. The readers particularly

wanted know the reasons why foreigners like Peter Bourne, one-time Presidential Advisor on

Narcotic Drugs in the Carter Administration, had found it necessary to make such frequent

visits, as well as about the involvement of the people from the country next door, in the

illegal narcotics trade. It was brought to my attention that many wished for further

details on these matters. This was to be expected, for these foreigners would surely not

have made this journey without purpose or benefit. Nor was the MTA Headquarters a

luxurious resort for rest and recreation. Moreover, most readers also wished to know as

far as possible, the extent to which our neighbours across the border were involved in the

drug trade. Then there were other related questions. How did the armed insurgent groups on

the Thai border support themselves? Which country profited from the presence of these

armed groups? But I am certain that the well informed reader would have had some inkling

of the answers to these questions. Think about it. From which country did the MTA buy

their arms and ammunitions and other military supplies like uniforms and so on, and what

about the heroin that was presumably produced by the MTA? Were the MTA members themselves

permitted to transport and convey the heroin that reached America and did they meet the

drug barons or dealers there? If not, which country was the transit point and who were the

people who did the actual buying and selling? I suppose these were questions that readers

would naturally wish to know more about. I was myself immensely interested. I had been

able to write my previous articles by courtesy of my friend who supplied me with the

background facts in our conversations. Now I needed to know more, but I had to bide my

time until he had some free time before asking my friend for further details. Fortunately

enough today I got the chance that I had been waiting for, because it was a short rest

period from agricultural work and he had some free time. So I proceeded with my Q&A

six articles to the newspaper with all that I learnt from my conversations with you. They

were serialized and published under the title Why did U Khun Sa  MTA

more about why so many foreigners came frequently to MTA headquarters. They also wish to

know more about the involvement of people from our next-door country in the drug trade.

Many have asked me to write more articles to fill in the missing gaps in these

country get to know more about what went on behind the scenes from people like you and me.

By learning these details they come to appreciate and value the efforts that were made.

Just consider how people have now come to realize the real significance of your surrender.

They are even beginning to comment that some people who can’t see the good in anything

have not done as much service to the country as someone who was once dubbed a drug

frequent visits to your headquarters by some foreigners as much as you know of

very well tell you more than I know nor should I exaggerate and fabricate. This is about

foreigners so I have to be especially careful and be sure of my facts and furnish proof

across some photos and papers. I was about to trash the lot when I remembered you and put

mentioned in one of our previous talks, our headquarters is neither a sacred religious

precinct nor a holiday resort. These people who come there are certainly not on very

worthy missions. They either come to peddle arms or purchase narcotic drugs or are

involved in gem smuggling. It’s one thing or the other. They don’t come to pay courtesy

calls nor purely for a visit. They wouldn’t be allowed to, anyway. There is plenty of

evidence of such visits but none about the business conducted. In any case I wasn’t in

charge of such matters. But you can’t very well expect sales receipts for the kind of

transactions that went on, so there’s no material evidence. That’s why I said I can tell

Bourne, a former presidential advisor as I told you earlier; then there was a senator from

America or so he said, and even the wife of the United States Assistant Secretary of

State. Then we also had a representative of Britain’s Scotland Yard, a CIA agent, a US war

eager to lobby for it as U Khun Sa did at the time. You can’t begin to imagine the number

of newsmen who descended on us. They included those from the United States, ABC, London

BBC, Central TV, Reuters, Australian channel-7 and Taiwan Central TV. There were so

not only had correspondents but also military officials, police and regional officials,

both high and low ranking from all departments. Then there was the self-styled Myanmar

expert, Bertil Lintner of the Far Eastern Economic Review and that woman Yindee from the

Nation newspaper. It was a nuisance you know and very annoying to have all these people

seen his picture in the book Therefore . . . It follows. I read

about how he turned up at BCP headquarters, then I learnt more about him when the KIO made

takes away all he can and then repays one’s hospitality with contrived and false news

to visit the KIO headquarters. There he was feted with food and showered with gifts of

jade. Yet, at the time the KIO started the peace process with the Government, he invited U

Brang Seng, the KIO chief to dinner at his residence in Bangkok and insulted him by

peace. After inviting U Brang Seng to dinner he refused to come out of his room and made

his wife entertain the guest alone. The KIO people still can’t get over this insult. They

say that if anyone should press Lintner’s neck with a foot, he surely would disgorge the

large amount of food that he’s eaten at the KIO table. But even that’s not the whole

story, there’s worse to come. You know U Sai Lin and U Kyi Myint of Special Region No: 4,

well they once had to escort him from the BCP headquarters at Pan Sang on his return to

Kyin Hone in Thailand. He had to be provided security all the way. He made a month-long

still being engaged in drug trafficking even though everyone else has acknowledged the

unending. I know for a fact that U Khun Sa went to great expense to lobby them. You see he

wanted to erase all those charges against him as a drug lord. He wanted to divert

attention instead to a political role for himself, as someone fighting for the Shan

national cause. I don’t know exactly how much was paid to which particular journalist, but

there is no shred of doubt that they benefited from these visits in more ways than

made so many visits she became an eyesore to me. And why wouldn’t they have dared to come?

They were free to come at any time, even in the middle of the night. Once they got to Mae

Hong Song on the Thai side of the border, it was only a matter of 2 hours to get to our

liaison offices at Chieng Mai and Mae Hong Song and another one at Mae Sai, half under

cover. So don’t ask me if it’s easy to obtain permission from your friends over the border

to cross over. Just give them money and they’ll even carry you piggy-back over the

who were supposed to be in charge of narcotic drug control? Didn’t they know about these

capable or as dedicated to the anti-narcotic drive, as you seem to think, not a grain of

heroin would reach American soil. U Khun Sa once commented that the US budget

appropriations for the fight against narcotic drugs was like giving the wrong medication

to the wrong patient. He said that if they had the sense to divert these funds to our

region he would see to it and guarantee that no one would cultivate opium anymore. He

themselves were acquainted with U Khun Sa’s inner circle whom they often met. Figure out

real reason why U Khun Sa’s on America’s wanted list. They were the ones who established

contact with him and in the same breath have indicted him on narcotic drug charges. So, is

U Khun Sa on their wanted list because he knows too much and could let the cat out of the

narcotic drug eradication, why should a former presidential advisor on narcotic drug

control get in touch and meet someone whom they have publicly declared as a drug king? Why

not discuss the issue with the Government? It was really ironic you know. Here we were the

No: 1 enemy on the Government’s list and being given a really sound beating as such. Yet

the United States Government refused to recognize the Government’s efforts, leave alone

give any form of aid or assistance. Instead they come a calling on U Khun Sa. If you think

about this situation even at the level of a fourth grader, everything becomes perfectly

incited U Khun Sa to make the ill-timed attack on government forces. A lot of men died and

many were wounded and disabled. It’s really regrettable, the way we fought each other. And

country in all respects, sneaks into our country and enjoys the hospitality of someone

they have dubbed a drug king. Then, isn’t it likely that he would misuse his rank and

trafficking. Maybe this Peter Bourne also would not have come to Ho Mong unless there was

some profit in it. I wasn’t in charge of drugs, it wasn’t part of my duties, so I

certainly can’t tell you to what extent he was involved. If anyone wants to know, then you

travel abroad as representatives of an independent Shan State and establish relations

off1cially with some foreign powers. And he also promised to get us permission to open up

representative offices somewhat in the manner of diplomatic missions in some western bloc

nations. He did make good his promise. We were able to open 2 offices, one in Washington

But I didn’t come across evidence of direct funding in large amounts to headquarters. Only

U Khun Sa would know. But since Bourne was behind the MTA offensive against the Government

that was launched as a means of gaining international attention, who can say with absolute

not acknowledge the endeavours made by our country to eradicate drugs, some of its

responsible anti-narcotic officials have the gall and duplicity to create mayhem in our

let’s take a break for today.” “You’re always doing this to me leaving me in