118:
94:
106:
1038:
Either way, essentially the Lao general gained an enormous amount of free opium when his paratroopers gathered it from the battlefield and shipped it to Ban Houei Sai. Ouane had had his sawmill bombarded, and his heroin refinery had burnt down during the fighting. However, he reputedly still had five more refineries working nearby. Ouane's damages were far outweighed by his gains.
983:. Ouane's drug refinery was there. News of this double challenge to the KMT drug trade spread through their radio net. They monitored the Shan caravan's progress. It was obvious that if Khun Sa succeeded with the sale, he could arm an additional 1,000 troops for his army with the proceeds, achieving armed parity with the KMT.
1080:
With his initial huge haul of confiscated opium, and his newly won control of opium traffic into Laos, General Ouane improved his refineries. At the time of the 1967 Opium War, they were turning out morphine base; some of that was further refined into crude but smokeable Number 3 Globe heroin. Within
1076:
On the other hand, Khun Sa's bid for supremacy in opium dealing had come to naught. He had lost his $ 500,000 investment; his army had been defeated and humiliated. His troopers began to quit him; by late 1968, more than half of his 2,000 man army had deserted. When he tried to ally himself with Shan
1032:
The
Nationalist Chinese had suffered 70 killed in action. Abandoning their dead, 24 machine guns, and their dead mules, they also fled the bombing, headed north up the Lao bank of the Mekong towards Burma because they lacked boats for a river crossing. Ten kilometers upon their way, they were blocked
1037:
helped encircle the outnumbered KMT. The dispute was settled when Ouane struck a deal with the leaders of the caravan. According to one account, he would pay them only the customary transportation fees for the opium. Another version says that the
Chinese paid $ 7,500 to Rattikone as a departure fee.
998:
Once there, they moved into defensive positions in Ouane's sawmill. Located on a sand spit jutting into the river, the mill was only approachable by land through its boggy lumberyard. The
Burmese barricaded themselves in behind the unmilled logs. As this was occurring, the local school principal had
986:
The remnants of the
Kuomintang Third and Fifth Armies that existed on the Thai border with Burma were the ones customarily paid off to allow passage of opium. Khun Sa elected to ignore their charge for the border crossing. Consequently, his opium train was hotly pursued by between 700 and 1,000
1007:
carrying the provincial RLA commander. He bore a message from
General Ouane; both sides should get out of Laos. In return, Khun Sa's men received orders from him via radio to remain on station. The Nationalist Chinese demanded $ 250,000 as the price for their departure. A firefight between the
1020:
to fly the 2nd
Paratroop Battalion to Ban Houayxay. From there they marched northward to block the southern exit from the battlefield. On the north side of Ban Khwan, a couple of RLA infantry battalions marched southward to block that egress. Two river patrol launches were sent to contest any
933:
for intelligence activities and espionage, their money was cut off in 1961. When the KMT generals shifted to opium trading, they claimed it as a necessity to fund their armies. In short order, the KMT troops soon controlled 90 percent of the
Burmese opium. Still maintaining their military
1081:
two years of the war, highly refined injectable Number 4 Globe heroin was being produced. Ouane's product now spread beyond its prior Asian market, to be smuggled into and sold in the United States and Europe. Not least among his markets was disaffected
American troops in Vietnam.
962:
of Burma; the KMT had already claimed the prerogative of similarly extorting a fee of nine dollars per kilo for opium to cross the
Burmese border into Thailand or Laos. Khun Sa's proclamation served as a declaration of war. He had his agents buy and gather 16 tons of opium from
843:, and Vietnam binding them to financially support the French effort. From that point onwards, the U.S. would fund an ever greater proportion of the French war effort; by 1952, it was funding about a third of the French budget for the war. Beginning as early as 6
999:
carried word of the invasion to the nearest RLA post at Ton Peung. In turn, they advised the principal that for safety's sake, the villagers should evacuate themselves across the river into
Thailand. The Lao soldiers also radioed in a report on the incursion.
1002:
The Chinese pursuit crossed the Mekong in the path of the fleeing Burmese on 24 July 1967, and marched south to Ban Khwan. After a preliminary skirmish, negotiations in the empty village began between the parties, with no result. A helicopter flew in from
942:, the KMT would move caravans of 100 to 600 pack mules loaded with raw opium without interference. Their largest shipments contained nearly 20 tons of raw opium. They charged a "transit tax" on the opium they handled or protected.
39:
1028:
The 400 surviving Burmese muleteers and guards deserted their position in the face of the bombing and fled cross-river via boat back to Burma, leaving most of the opium cargo, their 82 dead, and 15 dead mules.
810:
With this supply of raw opium base, plus his greater grasp on the drug trade, Ouane's refineries began to ship their heroin worldwide. He also supplied this injectable heroin to his allies – U.S. troops in the
807:, bombed both sides while moving in troops to sweep the battlefield. With both Burmese militia and Nationalist Chinese defeated and expelled from Laos, the Lao general confiscated the opium for himself.
1065:. Prior to the 1967 Opium War, the Thais and KMT had preserved a fiction that the Chinese were civilian refugees seeking asylum. After the Chinese exposure caused by the battle at Ban Khwan, the
1073:
units. The KMT's revenue from the opium trade was much diminished; their 15-year control of the smuggling routes, collecting their "transit tax", had ended with the fighting at Ban Khwan.
1008:
Burmese and the Chinese followed on 29 July, using small arms, .50 caliber machine guns, 60mm mortars, and 57mm recoilless rifles. The following day at noon, as the fighting continued, six
255:
791:
took place in northwestern Laos between February and August 1967; actual fighting took place from 29 July to 1 August 1967. A mule train, led by Burmese militia, carrying 16 tons of
979:
commander of that region of Laos. The caravan of hundreds of pack mules was escorted by 800 men from Khun Sa's army. They had a 200-mile trek from Burma to Ban Khwan in the
1069:
began strictly supervising the Kuomintang units, insisting that their commanders be accountable for their troops. Eventually, the Thais would quietly legitimise the KMT as
971:
states for his mule train to transport from Ving Ngun, Burma into nearby northwestern Laos. There he would sell this record-setting $ 500,000 shipment to General
1438:
1123:
248:
890:, was a missionary's son recruited for his cultural understanding of hill tribes in northwestern Laos. He founded a base for a guerrilla force at
1100:
689:
241:
1397:
1298:
1119:
1433:
1367:
1389:
1344:
1321:
1283:
278:
140:
77:
and attention from the battle forced the Thai government to crack down on the Chinese. Khun Sa was defeated and his army dispersed.
987:
Nationalist Chinese soldiers, who wanted either their payoff or the opium. They made their first attack as the caravan departed
1359:
1336:
1313:
1062:
585:
98:
384:
1016:
bombed the battlefield. Unbeknown to the combatants, the Lao general had also received permission from Lao Prime Minister
895:
1428:
1077:
insurgents, Burmese military intelligence put him in jail. However, when Khun Sa retired in 1971, he was still wealthy.
906:
887:
848:
824:
424:
1423:
1413:
868:
487:
356:
207:
683:
1025:
struck four or five times daily for two days running, bombing both sides indiscriminately, men and mules alike.
662:
655:
592:
406:
934:
capabilities, including a radio net for communications and weaponry that included crew-served weapons such as
860:
758:
522:
466:
1033:
by the RLA infantry troops. A fortnight's impasse ensued, during which additional Lao troops flown in from
737:
709:
501:
411:
305:
284:
917:
ended in a communist victory. Although Young recruited some of the Nationalist Chinese soldiers into the
1418:
991:. Khun Sa's rear guard drove off the attackers. On 14 and 15 July, the mile-long mule train crossed the
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730:
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634:
536:
445:
368:
300:
939:
876:
676:
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564:
550:
543:
473:
318:
1061:
The resultant embarrassing bad publicity from the opium war brought on a Thai crackdown on all the
1013:
856:
852:
828:
765:
431:
294:
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571:
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1317:
1309:
1294:
1279:
914:
883:
882:
The CIA was the lead American agency in the American penetration of Laos that resulted in the
694:
641:
613:
599:
557:
374:
324:
266:
110:
30:
1095:
929:– BE 101), many others became involved in the opium trade. Although they were funded by the
891:
620:
417:
1090:
1066:
1046:
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980:
972:
922:
840:
804:
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crossed into Laos to Ban Khwan, where they were attacked by rival drug smugglers from the
145:
122:
117:
74:
1276:
At War in the Shadow of Vietnam: U.S. Military Aid to the Royal Lao Government 1955–1975
958:
declared he was entitled to a "transit tax" from KMT opium shipments moving through the
976:
918:
800:
772:
701:
578:
515:
389:
176:
1407:
1022:
863:, the independence of the Kingdom of Laos was confirmed by international treaty on 20
400:
995:
into Laos. Marching south from Muong Mounge, they reached Ban Khwan two days later.
1070:
1004:
992:
669:
529:
459:
337:
1306:
US Foreign Policy and the War on Drugs: Displacing the Cocaine and Heroin Industry
1042:
951:
935:
812:
751:
855:, for combat supply drops in support of the French Army in Laos. Following the
1050:
910:
796:
606:
1329:
The Secret Army: Chiang Kai-shek and the Drug Warlords of the Golden Triangle
835:
December 1950, the United States signed the Pentalateral Treaty with France,
1034:
872:
988:
964:
959:
836:
452:
955:
135:
968:
930:
105:
1041:
On 19 August, the 700 remaining KMT crossed the Mekong to land in
1009:
899:
799:' Third and Fifth Armies. The intended recipient of the shipment,
792:
38:
43:
Fighting took place close to the border of Laos, Burma and China
237:
1021:
crossing of the Mekong. As this occurred, the AT-28s from
905:Marooned in the vicinity were the remnants of the
1045:, Thailand. They resisted being disarmed by the
827:, the French found themselves embroiled in the
23:
1258:
1256:
1254:
1124:United States Army Center of Military History
1063:Kuomintang remaining on their northern border
249:
8:
913:(KMT) that had been stranded there when the
1289:Conboy, Kenneth and James Morrison (1995).
894:, Laos, near the triple border junction of
871:was established in the American embassy in
867:July 1954. In December 1955, the secretive
1217:
1215:
1213:
1211:
1209:
1207:
1205:
256:
242:
234:
20:
1382:The Politics of Heroin in Southeast Asia
1352:The Politics of Heroin in Southeast Asia
1291:Shadow War: The CIA's Secret War in Laos
1195:
1193:
1191:
1189:
1187:
1185:
1183:
1181:
1120:"The Legal Status of Forces in Vietnam"
1111:
857:North Vietnamese 1953 invasion of Laos
7:
1439:Illegal drug trade in Southeast Asia
851:(CIA) used its proprietary airline,
1101:Campaign at the China–Burma border
1049:. They returned to their bases at
14:
1157:Conboy and Morrison, pp. 164–166.
879:battle the communist insurgency.
1327:Gibson, Richard Michael (2011).
690:1973 Laotian coup d'état attempt
116:
104:
92:
37:
1304:Friesendorf, Cornelius (2007).
99:Shan United Revolutionary Army
1:
1278:. Columbia University Press.
921:'s 101st Special Battalion (
265:Military engagements of the
1274:Castle, Timothy N. (1993).
849:Central Intelligence Agency
1455:
1221:McCoy (1972), pp. 322–328.
1175:McCoy (1972), pp. 315–322.
869:Programs Evaluation Office
1434:Organized crime conflicts
1350:McCoy, Alfred W. (1972).
1331:. John Wiley & Sons.
859:and the French defeat at
279:North Vietnamese invasion
276:
216:
188:
151:
128:
85:
47:
36:
28:
1166:Warner, pp. 74, 129–130.
936:.50 caliber machine guns
907:Nationalist Chinese Army
407:Battle of Ban Houei Sane
385:1966 Laotian coup d'état
1384:. Lawrence Hill Books.
1262:Friesendorf, pp. 50–53.
927:Bataillon Especiale 101
181:2nd Paratroop Battalion
177:RLA infantry battalions
55:29 July – 1 August 1967
1380:McCoy, Alfred (2003).
940:75mm recoilless rifles
412:Battle of Lima Site 85
306:Battle of Luang Namtha
129:Commanders and leaders
1130:on September 24, 2015
886:. One of its agents,
301:Battle of Ban Pa Dong
217:Casualties and losses
16:1967 conflict in Laos
1354:. Harper & Row.
1248:McCoy, pp. 328, 331.
877:Royal Lao Government
875:, Laos, to help the
797:Chinese Nationalists
586:Sourisak Montry VIII
73:Victory for General
1429:Wars involving Laos
1199:Gibson, Chapter 21.
1014:Royal Lao Air Force
853:Civil Air Transport
847:May 1953, the U.S.
829:First Indochina War
295:Battle of Vientiane
950:In February 1967,
825:World War II ended
380:Battles of Nakhang
363:1965 Laotian coups
344:1964 Laotian coups
291:1960 Laotian coups
1424:Laotian Civil War
1414:Conflicts in 1967
1398:978-1-55652-483-7
1299:978-1-58160-535-8
1293:. Paladin Press.
1148:Castle, pp. 7–19.
931:Republic of China
915:Chinese Civil War
884:Laotian Civil War
782:
781:
425:Junction City Jr.
375:Battle of Nam Bac
325:Battle of Lak Sao
268:Laotian Civil War
232:
231:
81:
80:
64:Northwestern Laos
31:Laotian Civil War
1446:
1263:
1260:
1249:
1246:
1240:
1237:
1231:
1228:
1222:
1219:
1200:
1197:
1176:
1173:
1167:
1164:
1158:
1155:
1149:
1146:
1140:
1139:
1137:
1135:
1126:. Archived from
1116:
1096:Second Opium War
866:
846:
834:
488:Honorable Dragon
271:
269:
258:
251:
244:
235:
121:
120:
109:
108:
97:
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41:
21:
1454:
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1449:
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1404:
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1377:
1375:Further reading
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1113:
1109:
1091:First Opium War
1087:
1067:Royal Thai Army
1059:
1053:and Tham Ngop.
1047:Royal Thai Army
1018:Souvanna Phouma
981:Kingdom of Laos
973:Ouane Rattikone
948:
864:
844:
832:
821:
805:Ouane Rattikone
785:
784:
783:
778:
684:Phou Phiang III
272:
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264:
262:
212:
184:
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146:Ouane Rattikone
123:Kingdom of Laos
115:
103:
93:
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75:Ouane Rattikone
65:
42:
17:
12:
11:
5:
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1371:
1368:978-0060129019
1348:
1325:
1302:
1287:
1270:
1267:
1265:
1264:
1250:
1241:
1239:McCoy, p. 296.
1232:
1230:McCoy, p. 329.
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1055:
977:Royal Lao Army
947:
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919:Royal Lao Army
820:
817:
801:Royal Lao Army
789:1967 Opium War
780:
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762:
755:
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741:
734:
727:
720:
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702:Air operations
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663:Black Lion III
659:
656:Phou Phiang II
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582:
579:Phou Khao Kham
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395:1967 Opium War
392:
390:Ban Naden raid
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152:Units involved
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24:1967 Opium War
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1390:1-55652-483-8
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1345:9780470830215
1342:
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1323:
1322:9781134123940
1319:
1315:
1311:
1308:. Routledge.
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1284:9780231079778
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1023:Luang Prabang
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909:loyal to the
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888:William Young
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861:Dien Bien Phu
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759:Commando Hunt
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523:Silver Buckle
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467:Diamond Arrow
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86:Belligerents
1043:Chiang Saen
946:Opium train
813:Vietnam War
752:Project 404
745:Tiger Hound
731:Steel Tiger
724:Barrel Roll
635:Strength II
537:Lam Son 719
446:Off Balance
1408:Categories
1360:0060129018
1337:0470830212
1314:1134123949
1269:References
1051:Mae Salong
911:Kuomintang
819:Background
677:Maharat II
649:Black Lion
628:Strength I
565:Phiboonpol
544:Desert Rat
474:Snake Eyes
453:About Face
432:Toan Thang
319:Pincushion
157:Mule train
111:KMT forces
1057:Aftermath
1035:Vientiane
873:Vientiane
766:Raindance
551:Xien Dong
1134:July 27,
1085:See also
989:Kengtung
960:Wa State
954:warlord
837:Cambodia
803:General
717:Millpond
695:Hin Heup
572:Sayasila
509:Tchepone
495:Tailwind
481:Maeng Da
439:Left Jab
401:Sone Pet
350:Triangle
331:Hardnose
312:Momentum
189:Strength
166:5th Army
163:3rd Army
134:Warlord
60:Location
29:Part of
1012:of the
956:Khun Sa
831:. On 23
642:Fa Ngum
614:Maharat
600:Thao La
593:Bedrock
558:Phoutah
285:Hotfoot
228:Unknown
194:800 men
136:Khun Sa
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1010:AT-28s
975:, the
969:Kokang
923:French
892:Nam Yu
865:
845:
833:
621:Sinsay
516:Copper
418:Pigfat
225:70 KIA
222:82 KIA
208:AT-28s
70:Result
1107:Notes
900:Burma
896:China
793:opium
357:Unity
141:Li Mi
1394:ISBN
1386:ISBN
1364:ISBN
1356:ISBN
1341:ISBN
1333:ISBN
1318:ISBN
1310:ISBN
1295:ISBN
1280:ISBN
1136:2015
967:and
938:and
841:Laos
787:The
773:Menu
369:Star
338:Wapi
206:Six
175:Two
52:Date
823:As
670:972
530:74B
460:139
1410::
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607:Z
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293:(
257:e
250:t
243:v
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