Wa leader acquitted but still in jail

The non-ceasefire Wa leader who was arrested in Thailand last year has been cleared by the court of drug charges but is still languishing in Chiangmai jail on another no less serious complaint, according to sources close to the family:

Ta Mahasang
The charge was on a shootout that took place on the Maehongson border in 1985 between the Border Patrol Police (BPP) and an armed unit believed to be the Wa National Army (WNA), the armed wing of the WNO.

As Ta Mahasang, 61, was taken on 6 March, 2005, two months before the case expired, his plaintiffs had simply refused to let him off. "That was a bit odd," said a family friend. "He's been in and out of the border for almost 20 years since. He even made friends among the BPP, but no one had made any mention to him of the affair let alone arrested him."
 
He was acquitted of the drug charge and his home and cars, impounded during the arrest, have been returned to his family.
 
His health has also been deteriorating. "One of his daughters," he said, "who visited him while he was in hospital last month, says he had to be spoonfed as he was unable to hold his spoons."
 
Mahasang's son in law, Ai Phong, while confirming what the family friend said, maintains his health has improved since.
 
S.H.A.N. however was unable to reach his wife Nang Kya Nu aka Li Yinxing.
 
Mahasang is the son of Ta Hpawng, traditional ruler of Wiang Nguen, north of Panghsang, the Wa capital on the Sino-Burma border.
 
His WNO is a member organization of the National Democratic Front, an alliance of armed ethnic groups fighting against the junta.