Ban Hin Taek
Encyclopedia
Ban Hin Taek or Baan Hin Taek (Thai: ที่บ้านหินแตก, lit. "The Village of Broken Stone") now renamed Ban Therd Thai – “Village to Honor Thailand”, is a village found in the Chiang Rai
area in the northern part of Thailand
. This village, composed mainly of Akha people, has had a very vivid history involving the notorious drug leader known as Khun Sa
. Despite being called Ban Therd Thai, the village will be referred to as Ban Hin Taek which is the name the villagers refer to when talking about their village.
. In order to reach Ban Hin Taek, one must take the road which starts at Bap Basang on route 110 between Chiang Rai and Mae Sai. A road by the name of route 1130 goes west into the mountains where its final destination is Doi Mae Salong. The road eventually becomes route 1234, a surfaced road. If you go a ways further on this road, you will come across a dirt road going north towards the Burmese border. This is the road that will take you to Ban Hin Taek.
Ban Hin Taek is a village nestled in a valley which is “like a finger pointing” into the Shan State
. It is surrounded by hills that have been scarred by the slash-and-burn agriculture. From Ban Hin Taek you can see the summit of Doi Tung, mountain approximately 1322 meters high. While it is not the highest mountain, it is without a doubt a magnificent one.
Ban Hin Taek is not as small a village as one would think. It’s inhabitants have expanded the village along a road for more than 3 kilometers towards the Burmese border. It has become quite prosperous over the years mainly because of the agriculture trade, but also because of the drug trade that existed for some time in Ban Hin Taek.
“Ban Hin Taek's village headman Duangdee Khemmawongse recalls, ‘Khun Sa came to live at Ban Hin Taek in late 1964, when he was around 30 and left a year later. In 1976, he came back again with his wife and children.’” In 1974, Khun Sa was released from Burmese prison he set up his base 2 years later in Ban Hin Taek. As long as the Thai generals were getting some of the drug revenues, Khun Sa could keep operating in Ban Hin Taek. Khun Sa was also beneficial to the Thai because they hoped to topple the Kuomintang
(KMT) and Rangoon’s hold on northeastern Burma so that Thailand could become more influential in that area. At this point in time, Khun Sa appointed himself as liberator of the Shan people advocating for a separate Shan state within Burma. He also agreed to “suppress the Beijing-backed Burmese Communist and Thai Communist Parties” which at the time were very active in that area.
Khun Sa ended up becoming a very successful drug warlord in the years 1974-1982. Once the communists came to power in both Laos
and South Vietnam
in 1975, Khun Sa was able to get a much stronger hold over the drug trade as the KMT’s smuggling routes in the area were now disrupted. With all this newfound wealth came newfound power, and Khun Sa needed a way to secure and protect his power. Thus he set up the Shan United Army (SUA) which at its peak had 20 000 soldiers. Khun Sa’s drug empire continued to grow until the early 1980s when the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) estimated that “70% of heroin consumed in the USA came from his organization.” Thus, the DEA decided to take action.
Before we look at the DEA’s involvement with Khun Sa, let us look at the benefits Ban Hin Taek got from Khun Sa. While he used the village as a base, it did not mean that he didn’t give back to the community. In fact, Khun Sa built health centers, schools and was the major benefactor of the Da Tong Chinese school which the KMT had set up. According to Apinan Apinanderthai, the kamnan
of tambon Therd Thai, the villagers “called Khun Sa chao oo, or father.”
However, Khun Sa’s generosity came to an end when the Thai government suddenly changed hands from General Kriangsak Chomanan
to General Prem Tinsulanonda
. The new general, along with pressure from the DEA who were trying to stop the flow of heroin into the United States (US), decided to kick Khun Sa out of Thailand. Thus, in January 1982, the Thai army, in conjunction with the Border Patrol Police, launched an offensive against Khun Sa’s base in Ban Hin Taek. Many days of violent fighting ensued and eventually the Thai forces used tanks and planes to get the SUA forces to retreat into Burma. Khun Sa managed to escape beforehand to the town of Hua Muang across the Burmese border. This signaled the end of Khun Sa’s drug regime in Ban Hin Taek.
Unfortunately this was not the end of Ban Hin Taek’s involvement in drug trafficking. In recent years, the heroin trade has been replaced with methamphetamines. Ban Hin Taek recently has fallen prey to drug traffickers who operate from across the Burmese border. It has been reported that the traffickers bribed local authorities and that four local residents have been killed by the gangs – “Two were eliminated because they tried to turn their backs on the drug trade, and two others because they were being uncooperative.”
Burma decided to take action against this new development and started shelling the border in February 2001. Soon after they also shelled the outskirts of Ban Hin Taek. This wasn’t the end of the new Burmese offensive. In March 2001 Burma prepared more troops and set up for further artillery strikes. As a result, Thai officials were ready to evacuate the villages along the Burmese border to Ban Therd Thai in order to secure their safety. However, there is no evidence that the Burmese military took any further action at this time.
The latest news coming out of Ban Hin Taek since 2001 was, when on October 26, 2007, Khun Sa died. A funeral was arranged for Khun Sa in order to commemorate his death, but to also attract tourism to the village. From this point on, investors have approached the village trying to develop it and attract tourists to the area.
Ban Hin Taek also has a prosperous cross-border trade. Most of this trade is legal, but the villagers who dally in the drug trade always have to be careful of their illegal actions. As mentioned above, the drug trade allowed Khun Sa to build schools and other public facilities which helped the economic situation of the village.
Since Khun Sa was expelled from Ban Hin Taek, the village slowly started building a tourist industry. The plan was to turn Khun Sa’s old house into a museum and create new jobs for the locals. “However, local authorities are still reluctant to agree to the idea, fearing the village’s history will be distorted by investors, who may focus only on their own benefits.” Nevertheless, the village now hosts a resort where people can relax by a stream or go mountain biking in the stunningly beautiful mountains around Ban Hin Taek. The renovation of Khun Sa’s house was completed and has become a museum.
The most recent news concerning the tourist industry in Ban Hin Taek was in 2007 when the village committee set up a development plan for the village. Resort hotels were to be built in order to accommodate tourists. The committee still fears that investors will abuse Ban Hin Taek, forgoing all of its cultural diversity and customs in favor of profits. Nevertheless, Ban Hin Taek has a growing tourist industry based on its fascinating past.
, Lahu
, and other tribespeople. The Akha, who were the founders of Ban Hin Taek as stated earlier, are the predominant tribe.
The Akha women wear much silver and often wear striped leggings in order to carry firewood and dry goods up to their homes. The houses in Ban Hin Taek are not built in an Akha style, but instead show signs of Yunnanese influence. They are built of wattle and mud on solid ground instead of the commonly found houses built on stilts.
“With local corn whisky on sale as a substitute for the eliminated opium
crop, other products found include Chinese herb remedies, Khanom Jiin curry and Chinese teas.” The diversity of food, drink and herbal remedies just highlights the mixture of the numerous different cultures that exist in Ban Hin Taek.
The abundant religions practiced by the villagers are probably the best example to highlight the cultural diversity of Ban Hin Taek. There is a Thai Buddhist wat
on the northeastern edge of the village, a mosque
on the western front and a little ways out of Ban Hin Taek, a large Chinese temple resides. Thus, there are many religious places of worship to satisfy most of Ban Hin Taek’s villagers.
Finally, every year Ban Hin Taek celebrates the Songkran Festival. This is less of a cultural tradition than a national tradition, but a tradition nonetheless.
Ban Hin Taek is also a great example of a wide range of cultures being able to live in peace and harmony. There is no evidence of violence and discrimination against specific ethnic groups by any of the villagers. It is a tightly knit village where people know each other for who they are. Some villagers knew Khun Sa as a neighbor, never getting involved in his affairs, but they developed their own image of Khun Sa, one where he is not the “King of Opium”, but rather a friendly villager. Ban Hin Taek is what it is. A culturally diverse village located in one of remotest parts of Thailand surrounded by unprecedented natural beauty.
Chiang Rai
-Demographics:Official Population count: According to the Thailand National Statistical Office, as of September 2010, Chiang Rai municipal district has a population of 199,699...
area in the northern part of Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. This village, composed mainly of Akha people, has had a very vivid history involving the notorious drug leader known as Khun Sa
Khun Sa
Khun Sa , also known as Chang Chi-fu was a Burmese warlord. He was born in Loi Maw of Mongyai. He was also dubbed the "Opium King" due to his opium trading in the so-called Golden Triangle. He was also the leader of the Shan United Army and the Mong Tai Army.- Biography :Khun Sa was born to a...
. Despite being called Ban Therd Thai, the village will be referred to as Ban Hin Taek which is the name the villagers refer to when talking about their village.
Origins and Directions
Ban Hin Taek is more specifically located beyond Doi Mae Salong in Northern Thailand. It is just south of the Thai-Burma border located in the Golden TriangleGolden Triangle (Southeast Asia)
The Golden Triangle is one of Asia's two main illicit opium-producing areas. It is an area of around that overlaps the mountains of four countries of Southeast Asia: Burma, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Along with Afghanistan in the Golden Crescent and Pakistan, it has been one of the most...
. In order to reach Ban Hin Taek, one must take the road which starts at Bap Basang on route 110 between Chiang Rai and Mae Sai. A road by the name of route 1130 goes west into the mountains where its final destination is Doi Mae Salong. The road eventually becomes route 1234, a surfaced road. If you go a ways further on this road, you will come across a dirt road going north towards the Burmese border. This is the road that will take you to Ban Hin Taek.
Ban Hin Taek is a village nestled in a valley which is “like a finger pointing” into the Shan State
Shan State
Shan State is a state of Burma . Shan State borders China to the north, Laos to the east, and Thailand to the south, and five administrative divisions of Burma in the west. Largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area, Shan State covers 155,800 km², almost a quarter of the total...
. It is surrounded by hills that have been scarred by the slash-and-burn agriculture. From Ban Hin Taek you can see the summit of Doi Tung, mountain approximately 1322 meters high. While it is not the highest mountain, it is without a doubt a magnificent one.
Ban Hin Taek is not as small a village as one would think. It’s inhabitants have expanded the village along a road for more than 3 kilometers towards the Burmese border. It has become quite prosperous over the years mainly because of the agriculture trade, but also because of the drug trade that existed for some time in Ban Hin Taek.
History
It is believed that Ban Hin Taek was the first Akha village in Thailand. It was founded in 1903 when the Akha entered Thailand from the easternmost Shan states of Burma. From that point onward we know very little of the happenings in Ban Hin Taek. Once Khun Sa appeared in Ban Hin Taek, we have an inflow of articles concerning Ban Hin Taek and his involvement with it.“Ban Hin Taek's village headman Duangdee Khemmawongse recalls, ‘Khun Sa came to live at Ban Hin Taek in late 1964, when he was around 30 and left a year later. In 1976, he came back again with his wife and children.’” In 1974, Khun Sa was released from Burmese prison he set up his base 2 years later in Ban Hin Taek. As long as the Thai generals were getting some of the drug revenues, Khun Sa could keep operating in Ban Hin Taek. Khun Sa was also beneficial to the Thai because they hoped to topple the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
(KMT) and Rangoon’s hold on northeastern Burma so that Thailand could become more influential in that area. At this point in time, Khun Sa appointed himself as liberator of the Shan people advocating for a separate Shan state within Burma. He also agreed to “suppress the Beijing-backed Burmese Communist and Thai Communist Parties” which at the time were very active in that area.
Khun Sa ended up becoming a very successful drug warlord in the years 1974-1982. Once the communists came to power in both Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
and South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
in 1975, Khun Sa was able to get a much stronger hold over the drug trade as the KMT’s smuggling routes in the area were now disrupted. With all this newfound wealth came newfound power, and Khun Sa needed a way to secure and protect his power. Thus he set up the Shan United Army (SUA) which at its peak had 20 000 soldiers. Khun Sa’s drug empire continued to grow until the early 1980s when the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) estimated that “70% of heroin consumed in the USA came from his organization.” Thus, the DEA decided to take action.
Before we look at the DEA’s involvement with Khun Sa, let us look at the benefits Ban Hin Taek got from Khun Sa. While he used the village as a base, it did not mean that he didn’t give back to the community. In fact, Khun Sa built health centers, schools and was the major benefactor of the Da Tong Chinese school which the KMT had set up. According to Apinan Apinanderthai, the kamnan
Kamnan
A kamnan is a Thai governing official at the tambon level. It is usually translated as "subdistrict headman".The position of a kamnan was introduced with the thesaphiban administrative reforms at the end of the 19th century, first enacted in 1892. On of the village elders of the muban...
of tambon Therd Thai, the villagers “called Khun Sa chao oo, or father.”
However, Khun Sa’s generosity came to an end when the Thai government suddenly changed hands from General Kriangsak Chomanan
Kriangsak Chomanan
General Kriangsak Chomanan served as prime minister of Thailand from 1977 to 1980.A professional soldier, General Kriangsak fought against the communists in both the Korean War and the Vietnam War...
to General Prem Tinsulanonda
Prem Tinsulanonda
General Prem Tinsulanonda is a retired Thai military officer who served as Prime Minister of Thailand from March 3, 1980 to August 4, 1988. He now serves as the Head of the Privy Council of the King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej....
. The new general, along with pressure from the DEA who were trying to stop the flow of heroin into the United States (US), decided to kick Khun Sa out of Thailand. Thus, in January 1982, the Thai army, in conjunction with the Border Patrol Police, launched an offensive against Khun Sa’s base in Ban Hin Taek. Many days of violent fighting ensued and eventually the Thai forces used tanks and planes to get the SUA forces to retreat into Burma. Khun Sa managed to escape beforehand to the town of Hua Muang across the Burmese border. This signaled the end of Khun Sa’s drug regime in Ban Hin Taek.
Unfortunately this was not the end of Ban Hin Taek’s involvement in drug trafficking. In recent years, the heroin trade has been replaced with methamphetamines. Ban Hin Taek recently has fallen prey to drug traffickers who operate from across the Burmese border. It has been reported that the traffickers bribed local authorities and that four local residents have been killed by the gangs – “Two were eliminated because they tried to turn their backs on the drug trade, and two others because they were being uncooperative.”
Burma decided to take action against this new development and started shelling the border in February 2001. Soon after they also shelled the outskirts of Ban Hin Taek. This wasn’t the end of the new Burmese offensive. In March 2001 Burma prepared more troops and set up for further artillery strikes. As a result, Thai officials were ready to evacuate the villages along the Burmese border to Ban Therd Thai in order to secure their safety. However, there is no evidence that the Burmese military took any further action at this time.
The latest news coming out of Ban Hin Taek since 2001 was, when on October 26, 2007, Khun Sa died. A funeral was arranged for Khun Sa in order to commemorate his death, but to also attract tourism to the village. From this point on, investors have approached the village trying to develop it and attract tourists to the area.
Economy
One would think that the drug trade is the sole factor for the development of Ban Hin Taek. However, this is not entirely true. Ban Hin Taek has a long custom of an agriculture industry. This is the local’s main source of income as they never really had a hand in the drug trade unless they directly worked for Khun Sa. Produce such as tomatoes, maize, onions, garlic and potatoes are grown and then sold in other places in Chiang Rai. There is even a tea factory in the village.Ban Hin Taek also has a prosperous cross-border trade. Most of this trade is legal, but the villagers who dally in the drug trade always have to be careful of their illegal actions. As mentioned above, the drug trade allowed Khun Sa to build schools and other public facilities which helped the economic situation of the village.
Since Khun Sa was expelled from Ban Hin Taek, the village slowly started building a tourist industry. The plan was to turn Khun Sa’s old house into a museum and create new jobs for the locals. “However, local authorities are still reluctant to agree to the idea, fearing the village’s history will be distorted by investors, who may focus only on their own benefits.” Nevertheless, the village now hosts a resort where people can relax by a stream or go mountain biking in the stunningly beautiful mountains around Ban Hin Taek. The renovation of Khun Sa’s house was completed and has become a museum.
The most recent news concerning the tourist industry in Ban Hin Taek was in 2007 when the village committee set up a development plan for the village. Resort hotels were to be built in order to accommodate tourists. The committee still fears that investors will abuse Ban Hin Taek, forgoing all of its cultural diversity and customs in favor of profits. Nevertheless, Ban Hin Taek has a growing tourist industry based on its fascinating past.
Culture
Ban Hin Taek population of approximately 3000 people is very ethnically diverse consisting of Shan, Yunnanese, Akha, LisuLisu
The Lisu people are a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group who inhabit the mountainous regions of Burma , Southwest China, Thailand, and the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh....
, Lahu
Lahu
The Lahu are an ethnic group of Southeast Asia and China.They are one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, where about 450,000 live in Yunnan province. An estimated 150,000 live in Burma. In Thailand, Lahu are one of the six main hill tribes; their...
, and other tribespeople. The Akha, who were the founders of Ban Hin Taek as stated earlier, are the predominant tribe.
The Akha women wear much silver and often wear striped leggings in order to carry firewood and dry goods up to their homes. The houses in Ban Hin Taek are not built in an Akha style, but instead show signs of Yunnanese influence. They are built of wattle and mud on solid ground instead of the commonly found houses built on stilts.
“With local corn whisky on sale as a substitute for the eliminated opium
Opium
Opium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
crop, other products found include Chinese herb remedies, Khanom Jiin curry and Chinese teas.” The diversity of food, drink and herbal remedies just highlights the mixture of the numerous different cultures that exist in Ban Hin Taek.
The abundant religions practiced by the villagers are probably the best example to highlight the cultural diversity of Ban Hin Taek. There is a Thai Buddhist wat
Wat
A wat is a monastery temple in Cambodia, Thailand, or Laos. The word "wat" means "school".- Introduction :...
on the northeastern edge of the village, a mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
on the western front and a little ways out of Ban Hin Taek, a large Chinese temple resides. Thus, there are many religious places of worship to satisfy most of Ban Hin Taek’s villagers.
Finally, every year Ban Hin Taek celebrates the Songkran Festival. This is less of a cultural tradition than a national tradition, but a tradition nonetheless.
Political and Societal significance
Ban Hin Taek is of great political significance. For a long time the route from Ban Hin Taek to Burma was used to enter or leave Burma illegally. Once Khun Sa got involved with this village, it suddenly came under the radar of the Thai, KMT and the DEA. Ban Hin Taek was used to smuggle drugs and as Khun Sa’s base. This is the village where the once dubbed “King of Opium” ruled over his drug regime and created the SUA. Eventually Khun Sa was kicked out of Thailand and the drug trafficking subsided along with the political significance of Ban Hin Taek. However, there is no doubt that Khun Sa left his mark on this village.Ban Hin Taek is also a great example of a wide range of cultures being able to live in peace and harmony. There is no evidence of violence and discrimination against specific ethnic groups by any of the villagers. It is a tightly knit village where people know each other for who they are. Some villagers knew Khun Sa as a neighbor, never getting involved in his affairs, but they developed their own image of Khun Sa, one where he is not the “King of Opium”, but rather a friendly villager. Ban Hin Taek is what it is. A culturally diverse village located in one of remotest parts of Thailand surrounded by unprecedented natural beauty.