| The town of Mong Hsat lies in one of several fertile valleys among the township’s many mountain ranges. The town population is about 40,000, 75% being Shan, the rest mostly Burmese and Lahu. In the rest of the township, Shan live in the valleys, with mainly Lahu and Akha living in the hills.
Mainly rice, chilies, tobacco, garlic and pineapples are grown in the valleys, with chillies and garlic being exported to other areas, including Thailand. Opium is cultivated in the hills.
Mong Hsat used to be the headquarters of the Chinese Nationalists’ Yunnan Province Anti-Communist National Salvation Army until 1954. Opium was allegedly flown from the air-strip in Mong Hsat by C-47s to Thailand and Taiwan.
Since the 1950s, various ethnic armies have operated in the Mong Hsat hills and border areas. During the 1990s, Shan (first MTA and then SSA-South) and Wa armies have been the main forces in the area.
The SPDC have built up their military presence in Mong Hsat, which now has four battalions: 49, 333, 528 and 278.
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