Homein
Homein
Homong / Ho Mong / Wān Ho-möng | |
|---|---|
Village | |
  | |
| Coordinates: 19°45′N 97°58′E / 19.750°N 97.967°E | |
| Country |  Myanmar |
| Division | Shan State |
| District | Langkho District |
| Township | Langkho Township |
| Elevation | 2,890 ft (881 m) |
| Time zone | UTC+6:30 (MMT) |
Homein (Burmese: ဟိုမိန်းမြို့, MLCTS: hui.min.mrui)[2] also known as Homong, Homöng, Ho Mong and Wān Ho-möng,[3] is a village in Langkho Township, Langkho District, southern Shan State, Myanmar (Burma).
Geography
[edit]Though there are no legal crossings, Homein lies in a porous mountainous area, 15 km northeast of Loi Lan mountain and 5.7 km west from the border with Mae Hong Son Province of Thailand.[1] The Salween River to the immediate north isolates this region somewhat from the rest of the nation, a road (dubious quality) connects from Langkho to onward points.
History
[edit]Owing to its location east of the Salween and the lack of adequate roads this village was of difficult access for the operations of the Tatmadaw. Beginning in 1985 it served as the headquarters of different Shan insurgent groups,[4] such as the Mong Tai Army —until 1996 when this group ceased operations, the Shan State National Army and the Shan State Army - South.[5] At that time the village also became a drug traffic hub[6] where drug kingpin Khun Sa found security and carried his deals with impunity.
Khun Sa was probably one of the most colorful and controversial figures on the Myanmar drug scene. Despite being indicted on drug trafficking charges by a federal grand jury in Brooklyn, New York, in January 1990, he continued to live comfortably at his then headquarters at Homong near the Thai border opposite Mae Hong Son...By then he was officially the most wanted man in the world, indicted by the United States and referred to by then-US ambassador to Thailand William Brown as "the worst enemy the world has"...[7]
Further reading
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b GoogleEarth
- ^ Myanmar Information Management Unit - Langkho Township, Shan State Archived 2015-09-22 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Wān Ho-möng". Mapcarta. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
- ^ "Shan United Army (SUA) - Mong Tai Army (MTA)". GlobalSecurity. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
- ^ BURMA MYANMAR: 14 military trucks arrived in Homong, opposite Maehongson, on 3 March
- ^ "Shan Herald Agency for News: Biz hub moves to Mandalay, Fri 31 Mar 2006". Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
- ^ "Golden Triangle drug Lords: Khun Sa, Lo Hsing Han, Miss Hairy Legs and the Wa State Army". Facts and Details. Retrieved 26 May 2016.; Bertil Lintner, in Asia Online; November 1, 2007