Burmese drug baron selling giant ja

[ausgeo@xxxxxxx]

Subject: Burmese drug baron selling giant jade

Friday July 11 3:21 AM EDT 

Burmese drug baron selling giant jade

BANGKOK, July 11 (UPI) _ Southeast Asia's most-wanted drug trafficker is 
reported to be offering to sell the world's biggest precious stone to the 
highest bidder. 

The Bangkok Post reports today a source close to opium warlord Khun Sa says 
the 200-ton hunk of jade is being marketed to prospective buyers from Taiwan 
and the Middle East. 

Khun Sa's son, Chao Cham Huang, has been put in charge of selling the stone, 
which is stored in a secret location in the central Shan State of eastern 
Burma, near the Mongkut mine where it was found. 

Until his surrender to Burmese military authorities in January 1996, Khun Sa 
ruled a vast area and commanded an army of up to 20,000 well- armed troops 
financed by his opium and heroin sales. 

But Burma's ruling military junta has refused all requests to extradite Khun 
Sa to the United States, where he is wanted on heroin smuggling charges. 

The half-Shan, half-Chinese warlord is now reported to be living under 
government protection at a private villa in Rangoon. 

He is also reported to have diversified into the hotel business in partnership 
with several senior Burmese military officers. A 200-room, five-star hotel in 
which Khun Sa is the main investor is scheduled to open for business later 
this year.