In this Burmese name, Khun is an honorific, not a given name.
In this Chinese name, the family name is Zhang.
Khun Sa
Khun Sa at his jungle headquarters in Myanmar (Burma), 1988
Native name
ခွန်ဆာ Chang Chi-fu
Birth name
Sai Sa
Other name(s)
จันทร์ จางตระกูล (Chan Changtrakul) Tun Sa U Htet Aung
Born
17 February 1934 Loi Maw, Mongyai, British Burma
Died
26 October 2007 (2007-10-27) (aged 73) Yangon, Myanmar
Buried
Yayway Cemetery, Yangon
Allegiance
Mong Tai Army Shan United Revolutionary Army
Years of service
1985 (1985)–1996 (1996)
Rank
Commander-in-chief
Battles/wars
1967 Opium War, Internal conflict in Myanmar
Other work
Shan warlord
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese
張奇夫
Simplified Chinese
张奇夫
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin
Zhāng Qífū
Wade–Giles
Chang Ch'i-fu
Khun Sa (Burmese: ခွန်ဆာ, pronounced[kʰʊ̀ɰ̃sʰà]; 17 February 1934 – 26 October 2007) was an ethnic Chinese drug lord and warlord. He was born in Hpa Hpeung village, in the Loi Maw ward of Mongyai, Northern Shan State, Burma.[1] Before he assumed the Shan name "Khun Sa" in 1976, he was known primarily by his Chinese name, Zhang Qifu (張奇夫).
In his early life Khun Sa received military equipment and training from both the Kuomintang and Burmese Army before claiming to fight for the independence of Shan State and going on to establish his own independent territory. He was dubbed the "Opium King" in Myanmar due to his massive opium smuggling operations in the Golden Triangle, where he was the dominant opium warlord from approximately 1976 to 1996. Although the American ambassador to Thailand called him "the worst enemy the world has", he successfully co-opted the support of both the Thai and Burmese governments at various times. After the American Drug Enforcement Administration uncovered and broke the link between Khun Sa and his foreign brokers, he "surrendered" to the Burmese government in 1996, disbanding his army and moving to Yangon with his wealth and mistresses. After his retirement some of his forces refused to surrender and continued fighting the government, but he engaged in "legitimate" business projects, especially mining and construction. He died in 2007 at the age of 73. Today, his children are prominent businesspeople in Myanmar.
KhunSa (Burmese: ခွန်ဆာ, pronounced [kʰʊ̀ɰ̃ sʰà]; 17 February 1934 – 26 October 2007) was an ethnic Chinese drug lord and warlord. He was born in Hpa...
KhunSa himself surrendered to the government in 1996. He was allowed to retire in Yangon and keep his large fortune. Refusing to surrender with Khun...
consisting of soldiers from the Shan minority in Myanmar, founded in 1985 by KhunSa. It had up to 20,000 armed troops at its peak, and was one of the largest...
opium they handled or protected. In February 1967, Shan Burmese warlord KhunSa declared he was entitled to a "transit tax" from KMT opium shipments moving...
people, has had a very vivid history involving the drug leader known as KhunSa. Despite being called Ban Therd Thai, the village will be referred to as...
Revolutionary Council (TRC) when the 2nd Brigade headquarters was overrun by KhunSa's Shan United Army (SUA). In early 1985 its headquarters at Piang Luang...
destroy KhunSa's heroin factory in the Burmese side opposite Mae Chan District, Chiang Rai Province, Thailand. After the successful destruction KhunSa's heroin...
involved in a conflict against the Shan Mong Tai Army led by drug kingpin KhunSa which suited the objectives of the Tatmadaw in the area. During this conflict...
March 2013) was an ethnic Shan associate of the Chinese drug trafficker KhunSa who operated in the Golden Triangle, a major drugs-smuggling area where...
interview drug kingpin KhunSa about potential locations of U.S. POWs. He returned with a videotaped interview in which KhunSa named several officials...
area is in Xishuangbanna (China) and the eastern states. Tai Khuen or Tai Khün (တႆးၶိုၼ်), a subgroup of the Tai Yai making up the majority in the Keng...
Transporter Mr. Kwai 2004 Mickey ESPN Reporter 2007 American Gangster KhunSa 2010 The 41-Year-Old Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall and Felt Superbad...
Shan United Army (SUA) was a Shan militia group formed by KhunSa. Originally formed in 1966 as the Loimaw Ka Kwe Ye (anti-communist militia), it changed...
drug cartels (see also Myanmar Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army) KhunSa cartel (see also Mong Tai Army) Red Wa (see also United Wa State Army and...
operations. Similar charges were made in a 1987 letter from the Burmese warlord KhunSa to the U.S. Justice Department. The letter, which was transmitted by James...
organization and criminal syndicate. The organization was founded in 1963 by KhunSa with the purpose of fighting the communist insurgency and was dedicated...
became a drug traffic hub where drug kingpin KhunSa found security and carried his deals with impunity. KhunSa was probably one of the most colorful and...
the Communist Party of Burma (CPB), as well as those of the drug lords KhunSa, and Lo Hsing Han. By the mid-1960s, CPB had begun receiving open support...
(1937– 2014), a two-time Myanmar Academy Award winning actress and singer KhunSa 张奇夫 (1934–2007)(Kokang), Famous Drug Lord, and Commander-in-Chief of the...
figure in smuggling heroin into the United States from c. 1968 to 1975. KhunSa The Politics of Heroin in Southeast Asia Eclipse of the Assassins Project...
Stolen Children (Mozambique, 1994) The Fall of Manerplaw (Myanmar, 1992) KhunSa Opium Warlord (Myanmar, 1994) 32 Battalion South Africa Defense Force (Namibia...
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