Bkk Post-Wa army wants drug evidenc

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Subject: Bkk Post-Wa army wants drug evidence

March 1, 1999
Wa army wants drug evidence
Before handing over Wei to Washington

Nusara Thaitawat Subin Khuenkaew
The United Wa State Army (UWSA) is ready to hand over Wei Hsueh-kang, the
United States' most wanted drug kingpin in the Golden Triangle, but only if
Washington can provide hard evidence of his criminal activities.
Wei, whose Thai name is Prasit Chivinnitipanya, is wanted on US federal drug
violations in the eastern district of New York.
Last June, the US State Department announced a US$2 million (74 million
baht) reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
"If the US doesn't provide the evidence, we won't hand him over even if the
reward is $1 billion. But if it does, we'll hand him over for nothing," said
Ta Kap, deputy commander of the UWSA's 894th Brigade in Mong Yawn.
Ta Kap is responsible for military affairs and finance for Mong Yawn in the
UWSA's southern military command just across Thailand's Ban Santondu in Mae
Ai district of Chiang Mai.
Ta Kap challenged the US to look into Wei's past. "He is no longer involved.
The same goes for (former opium warlord) Khun Sa, whose bad name continues
to follow him everywhere even though he has washed his hands (of the drug
trade)," he said.
However, he admitted Wei's subordinates were still involved.
Hush-hush talk in Mong Yawn is of a leadership struggle between Wei, whose
361st Brigade settled in the area years before the UWSA despatched its 894th
Brigade to help dethrone Khun Sa in an agreement with the Burmese
government.
The agreement was reached following the 1989 break-up of the Burmese
Communist Party (BCP), of which the UWSA was part, and the signing of a
ceasefire deal between the Burmese government and the UWSA. The Burmese
government traded Khun Sa's territory in Mong Yawn for the UWSA's help to
bring him down.
The leadership struggle is complicated. The 894th Brigade is loyal to the
UWSA command in Pang Hsang, northeastern Shan State near the Chinese border,
and its structure remains very much communistic along BCP lines. Bright red
pictures of Chinese Communist Party leader Mao Zedong still adorn the homes
of senior officers and some soldiers.
But all the people who settle in the newly-developed Mong Yawn, estimated
population 10,200 with 2,000 more on their way from other UWSA-controlled
areas, must convert to Christianity. Polygamy is encouraged to produce more
children.
Furthermore, the 894th Brigade is theoretically financially dependent on the
UWSA command in Pang Hsang but it is clear that much of the construction in
Mong Yawn, estimated to be worth at least one billion baht, is partly funded
by Wei's 361st Brigade, which is accused by the US and Thailand of drug
trafficking.
More hush-hush talk is of the possibility for Wei to relocate to Homong, the
former headquarters of Khun Sa across from Mae Hong Son. Khun Sa or Chang
Shi-fu is also wanted by the US, with a $2 million price tag on his head.
A seasoned observer commented that rumours of Wei's relocation were intended
to create a semblance of division within the UWSA's southern military
command: drug traffickers versus non-drug traffickers. This way, UWSA
dependents would be able to live a more quiet life after years of fighting.
The rumours were also intended to mislead authorities as to Wei's plans in
the face of recent stepped up efforts by the US to bring him to justice.
Wei is reportedly negotiating the terms of his relocation not only with
Rangoon, which is now in control of Homong where Khun Sa's eldest son still
lives, but also with the UWSA leadership in Pang Hsang.
A Wa community leader who declined to be named said Wei was building a new
house in Ban Hong in Mong Hsat, deeper in the Shan State, as Mong Yawn's
massive development involving hundreds of Thai workers could expose him to
danger.
A senior Thai police officer close to the issue said the US had yet to
officially ask Thailand for cooperation on capturing Wei. "We might consider
cooperating with the US but only if we stand to gain as well," he said.
In 1994, Thai and US authorities launched Operation Tiger Trap to cut Khun
Sa's lifeline in Thailand; 14 of his key lieutenants were arrested and this
contributed to his eventual downfall in 1996.
The benefit of Wei's arrest is evident for Thailand: Thai anti-narcotics
authorities all point the finger at the UWSA as the main supplier of the
millions of amphetamine tablets which flood the country.
However, a legal issue will arise, not because Wei has a Thai identity card
which could slow his extradition to the US, but because he was sentenced to
death in 1986 for trafficking in 680 kg of heroin. He managed to escape.
If he is arrested in Thailand, theoretically his sentence would have to be
carried out before facing justice in the United States.