Prince of Death Road Trip-Khun Sa Memorial

Chiang Mai –Thoed Thai
November 7,2007
Route: 107-1089-3051

David Unkovich, Honda Africa Twin 750
David Early, Suzuki DR650

Photos by:GT_Rider / Silver Hawk





Khun Sa died in Burma on 26 October 2007. If you don’t know who Khun Sa is, then you are missing out on many of the legends and mystique of traveling the Golden Triangle. To many he was known as a freedom fighter trying to establish a home state for the Shan, fighting for freedom from the Burmese. For others he was called the Prince of Death or the Prince of Darkness. A ruthless war lord who controlled the opium production in Northern Thailand and the Shan and Wa area’s of Burma. He had a standing army of 20,000 men and a one million dollar price on his head from the U.S. Government/D.E.A. An internet search will bring up many fascinating stories.

He was cremated in Rangoon but the Thai village of Thoed Thai scheduled a memorial service for him on Nov 8 and 9. Thoed Thai was one of his former strongholds and his residence for many years.


Kung Sa country

Davidfl and I had a leisurely ride up Rte 107 to Thatong and then cut over to Doi Mae Salong. Thoed Thai is about a 40 minute ride north towards the Burmese border.



We had made reservations at the Rimtaan guest house which was located on the river, in the center of town and great clean bungalows for 300baht. There are also some rooms with two double beds for 400baht.



We arrived on the evening of the 7th and went up to Kung Sa’s residence where they were making preparations for the following days. This also is the location of the Khun Sa Museum which is open to the public and contains a small amount of memorabilia. I am told that the Thai government would not allow anything more elaborate.




We were greeted by mostly smiling faces and for the rest of the weekend we were treated like VIP’s. As it turned out we were the only westerners present. We were told a couple others stopped by on the 8th but didn’t return.


Even an Elvis impersonator.




On the 8th the local residents came up in small numbers and everyone paid their respects. We had met a fine gentleman who was the principal of the Junior High School and one of the organizers. He made sure we well taken care of and comfortable. He insisted that we be the first to sign the provided guest books and write a message to Khun Sa. Anyone that knows my past profession must laugh at the irony that I am the first to sign Khun Sa’s memorial ledger.







The women made sure that we were well fed with food provided to all guests. If you know how any Thai festivity usually goes, we found it rather strange how this was kept as a very somber and respectful gathering and NO alcohol of any type was on the premises. The drink of choice was hot tea.




They were very well organized and even sold VCD’s of Khun Sa’s life and history and a slide presentation ran throughout the day. 100’s of photo were set up in the normally vacant museum areas.



Although we tried to look inconspicuous (as if we could) we had as many photographers taking photos of us as they did of the ceremony. Many people spoke at the ceremony and translations to Thai was provided by the school girls. One can only guess at the background of some of the guests. We were asked to deliver a eulogy in English but we both passed on that one!


Owner of Rimtaan GH, “Johnnie” speaks several languages.

It was also explained to us that being Buddhist, the people must remember the good someone had done. They explained that Khun Sa had built the first paved roads into the area. He built the first school and a new well equipped hospital. He built modern infrastructure to handle water supply and electricity. Thoed Thai would not exist as it does today without him. Freedom Fighter or Prince of Darkness? Definitely depends on how you look at it.



We awoke early each day in time to make the morning market which seemed to finish about 7:30AM. I have no idea what time they started. It was pretty chilly and the fog settled in overnight and just started to clear as the market was underway.





We found a lady that made great Lao style coffee which I love and we stopped there both mornings.



A young Tai Lai girl took an interest in me and was QUITE friendly. She followed me all around the market and said she had never seen a “farang” before (I’ve heard that one before). I had to tell her that there could not be a wedding until they got ADSL in her village.



Davidfl and I spent the rest of the day exploring the roads leading north to the Myranmar border. Mostly paved, and the sections that weren’t, were currently under construction. It was beautiful scenery without a cloud in the sky.


Possibly not the best choice of spelling.




It was also good to see Davidfl handling the AT on these roads again with out any trouble.





David is not shy about right out with the people and taking “in your face photos”, but he gets some great shots sometimes.


I give him full credit for this one.


But I get lucky sometimes.


Roadside pork sellers.



All in all, a very good road trip and whatever your feelings towards Khun Sa, it is a part history and we can say we were part of it. That’s my kind of road trip!

3 November 2007 20:41
Khun Sa
Opium-trafficking 'Prince of Death'
Published: 01 November 2007
Chang Shi-fu (Khun Sa), guerrilla leader and drugs baron: born 17 February 1933; died Rangoon 26 October 2007.
He called himself a freedom fighter and, for more than four decades, Khun Sa headed a ruthless guerrilla army which he said he was using to win autonomy for Burma's Shan people.
Others were not so convinced. Around the world, drugs agents termed him the "Prince of Death", saying that he and the drugs organisation he ran from deep inside the jungles of South-east Asia were responsible for murder, assassinations and bribery. At one point, officials in Washington estimated that 60 per cent of the heroin being sold on the streets of the United States came from opium refined in the area under his control.
For years his area of operation was the so-called Golden Triangle, that remote part of the jungle where the borders of Burma, Thailand and Laos meet. His hideout – a virtual autonomous kingdom – was equipped with satellite televisions, schools and surface-to-air missiles. "They say I have horns and fangs. Actually, I am a king without a crown," he once boasted to a reporter.
Khun Sa had not always sided with the Shan, one of Burma's many indigenous peoples. In the early 1960s he formed a militia that was loyal to the Burmese government and received money and equipment for fighting against the Shan rebels. Before long he fell into conflict with the government and served time in a Burmese jail.
When he was released in 1974 he returned to drug smuggling, renamed his militia the Shan United Army and began using the outfit to fight against the government again. He claimed he was doing so in the cause of Shan independence but Khun Sa was able to use his position to create leverage along the Thailand-Burma border and rapidly he became one of the most important players in the drugs trafficking business there.
He claimed that he was only involved in the drugs business to further the cause of the Shan and on one occasion he offered to sell his entire opium haul to the US government in exchange for money to start economic development in the impoverished Shan areas. "My people grow opium," he said. "And they are not doing it for fun. They do it because they need to buy rice to eat and clothes to wear."
He was born Chang Shi-fu in north-east Burma in 1933 to a Chinese father and a Shan mother, later adopting the name Khun Sa. In his younger years he served with the Kuomintang of China but left to form his own army made up of a few hundred men. Though he had received little education he learned military tactics, as well as the business of opium dealing, from his time with the Kuomintang, the remnants of which had been beaten by the Maoist forces and were holed-up in Burma.
In the mid-1990s it appears that Khun Sa fell out with other Shan leaders and again it became necessary for him to switch allegiances. Though the US had offered a $2m reward for his capture, the former warlord was able to make a deal with his one-time allies in the Burmese regime and opted to move out of the jungle and enjoy a life of relative ease and seclusion in Rangoon.
Andrew Buncombe
http://news.independent.co.uk/people/ob ... 115504.ece

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Edit:Spelling[/quote]

Trying to get this post back in order after the "move". Sorry if you get a double post.

Great follow up Rhodie. As we know there are many sides to this story. Thanks for the insight and photos.

Peter Hooper wrote: A most interesting report DFL, S’H and Rhodie, great photos too.
I agree with you that we are not in a position to judge his life or motives and I don’t blame the local people for trying to gain some capital from his presence there. Even though he doesn’t seem to have funnelled any of his ill gotten gains into the local community, maybe now they can gain something from his infamy by becoming a tourist attraction. I would certainly be interested in going there and the story makes it all the more enticing. A bit like Pol Pot’s memorial just South of here. He was evil but the locals may now gain something from his infamy.

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Not quite true Peter. If you go back and look at my original post we were told the reason for the memorial was............

It was also explained to us that being Buddhist, the people must remember the good someone had done. They explained that Khun Sa had built the first paved roads into the area. He built the first school and a new well equipped hospital. He built modern infrastructure to handle water supply and electricity. Thoed Thai would not exist as it does today without him. Freedom Fighter or Prince of Darkness? Definitely depends on how you look at it.

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This may of course be revisionist history but that is what they are currently saying. According to Davidfl he was told there were some plans of building and making this area more of an tourist attraction, but the locals are against it and want to maintain their current status. Perhaps he can elaborate on this.

Although my photo does not do justice to Rhodie's work, here is a closeup of his nicely done collage. There were some extremely happy faces from the folks who saw it in Thoed Thai.



The people of Thoed Thai have created a very warm and welcoming community and would like to promote eco tourism in the area without baseing it soley on the Khun Sa legacy.

I am going to intentionally do a double post here for the sake of continuity with what Davidfl has said, and show another of the varied attractions in the area.

This is a copy of my recent post on Thailasse's, Where Is This Stupa Located....

Date: July 30, 2009

I decided to do it the hard way and ride from the Golden Horse Temple to Wat Hua Mae Kham............

Don't believe that one huh?

Anyway,

The monk says that he now lives here alone. He states that other monks that have tried to live here don't like all his chickens and dogs. He rides the horse daily down to the village to collect rice and food.

He told us of having to pay 1,600 baht to buy one of his dogs from some people who were going to eat it.

He seemed to truly enjoy having our company and kept talking and telling us stories. I guess you get that way living alone on top of a mountain. We gave him a donation that he said he would use to buy feed for his horse and he seemed happy.

I have to admit that due to other committments I had to drive my truck on this trip. It was definately "4 wheel drive only" during the rainy season.

Thanks Thailasse for your information.

**If you go, after turning off the main road and following the trail, you come to a Y fork. Go left! To the right looked the more traveled route but led to some deserted farm and the trail was barely wide enough for the truck. I had to reverse for some distance back up the trail before I could turn around.

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Scan through the above info in it's entirety and put Thoed Thai on your list of places to go.........