EDITORIAL

EDITORIAL 

Now that the Central Executive Committee has taken up the reins of power in the Shan Resistance, one question inevitably arises: What is going to be the fate of Khun Sa? Is he going to be playing the role of "the man behind the scenes" from now on? Or is he going to be handed over to the foreign powers that have vowed to get him dead or alive, i.e. the Thais, the American and the Burmese SLORC, in exchange for recognition of the of the Shan right to self-determination? 

The S.H.A.N.'s answer may only be, at best, a tentative one. However, a response from a friend from abroad may indicate the CEC's immediate policy with regard to Khun Sa: "Recent changes may more than likely prove positive in the Shans' dealings with the outside world. However, they must take care these changes do not, as they usually did in the past, also bring splits among them. Khun Sa, whatever his faults are, is one Shan you should be proud of. Without him, you could never have become this strong or formidable. The CEC will have to keep that in mind if they want to go far." 

There is also another thing that is very clear at least to the Shans: 

The Shan struggle did not come into being because of drugs, but only because their rights enshrined in both the Panglong Agreement and the 1947 constitution were shamelessly ignored and violated. The drug issue has nevertheless tainted their struggle because of Burmese propaganda to cover up the Shan's legitimate rights. To their disadvantage, they are also in an era where people do not think for themselves, but have everything planted in their heads by the mass media such as the ABC and the CBS.