The Mae Salong Timeline
Introduction to the Mae Salong Timeline
This is a preliminary Mae Salong Timeline of facts and events that have shaped the history and narrative of the KMT (Kuomintang) presence in Thailand. The “Mae Salong Timeline” is better title for the page than the “KMT Timeline” This is a work under construction. I will add information on a regular basis. Nevertheless I hope it gives a useful overview of the turbulent history of the 3rd and 5th KMT armies and communities in Thailand. Besides historical facts I added some of my own experiences and people I have met in the past few years.
Early days: 1894-1950
1894 – Sun Yat Sen founds the party in as the Revive China Society in Honolulu, Republic of Hawaii.
1919 – Sun Yat Sen reorganizes the party in the French Concession in Shanghai under the name “Kuomintang“, which translates as the “Chinese National Party” or “National People’s Party,
1928 – The Kuomintang rules China as a single party. Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek rules China from 1928 until 1949,
1937 – Start of the Second Sino-Japanese War. Armed forces of the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) fight alongside against the Japanese invaders.
1945 – End of the Second World War and of the Second Sino-Japanese War. After this fighting breaks out between the Kuomintang armies and the armed forces of the CCP..
1949 – The armed forces of the CCP under Mao Zedong defeat the KMT forces, who escape to the island of Formosa (Taiwan). KMT troops in Yunnan cross the border into Burma.
1950 – Chiang Kai-shek becomes the first president of the Republic of China on the island of Taiwan.
The Burmese Days: 1949 – 1961
1949 – The bulk of the defeated KMT forces move to Taiwan. However, KMT troops in Yunnan cross the border into Burma where they started preparing to resume hostilities with the communists. The American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) airlifts arms and troops into the town of Hmong Sat in Northern Shan State, Burma.
1950-52 – Communist forces repel several incursions into Yunnan by KMT forces.
1953 – The government of Burma files a complaint with the UN about the presence of the KMT within its borders. This results in the first evacuation of KMT troops and their dependents from Burma to Taiwan via Tachileik and Lampang.
1961 – Second evacuation of KMT troops and their dependents from Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and Laos to Taiwan via Luang Namtha in Laos. KMT troops of the 3rd and 5th armies who decided not to go to Taiwan, cross the border into Thailand and settle on Doi Mae Salong and at Tham Ngob in Northern Thailand.
Communist Insurgency in Thailand: 1965 – 1970
1965 – Start of an armed insurgency by the Communist Party of Thailand.
1966 – First major battle between communist insurgents and government forces in Chiang Rai province, resulting in loss of life on both sides.
1967 – Major opium battle in Northwest Laos. KMT troops and troops from Khun Sa fight a battle over a large amount of opium in Northwest Laos.
1969 – Thai minister of Defense Thanom Kittichkachorn approaches the KMT generals Le Duan-Shwe (fifth army) and Lee Wen-Huan (third army) to assist in counter insurgency.
1970 – Opening of the Shinsane Guesthouse, first accommodation for tourists in Mae Salong.
The days of counterinsurgency: 1970 – 1982
1970 – December: first campaign of KMT troops against Hmong Communist insurgents in Chiang Rai province.
1971 – November: second campaign of KMT troops against Hmong communist insurgents in Phayao province.
1972 – March: third campaign of KMT troops against Hmong communist insurgents in Chiang Khong area.
1973 – February: Battle of Kae Noi between Thai government forces and KMT “irregular forces”. Bangkok Post calls this the biggest battle on Thai soil. Source: Bangkok Post, February 7, 1974
1973 – October: fourth anti-insurgent campaign
1974 – March: fifth anti-insurgent campaign
1975 – May: sixth anti-insurgent campaign.
1978 – Photographer Sira Tuangchaipiti visits Santikhiri (Mae Salong) on Doi Mae Salong.
1980 – General Tuan Shi-wen passes away.
1981 – KMT troops join Thai armed forces to quell the communist insurgency at Khao Kor in Petchabun Province.
Peaceful Development and Tourism: 1982 – now
1984 – March: bomb attack of the residence of General Lee Wen-Huan in Chiang Mai
1984 – The Lonely Planet guidebook “Thailand: A Travel Survival Kit” mentions Santikhiri (Mountain of Peace) as a second name of Mae Salong
1994 – Official opening of Mae Salong for tourism
1995 – Opening of the 101 tea plantation, known for specializing in Taiwanese Oolong tea cultivars, specifically No. 12 (Jin Xuan) and No. 17 (Soft-stem).
1996 – Completion of the Phra That Chedi Srinagarindra Sathit Maha Santikhiri aka the Phra Boromathat Chedi at Mae Salong aka Santikhiri
1997 – The Thai government endows Mae Salong with the name Santikhiri (Mountain of Peace)
2000 – General Lee Wen Huan, commander of the 3rd army, passes away.
2002 – Completion of the Martyr’s Memorial Hall at Mae Salong.
2005 – Mae Salong was selected by the Tourism and Sports Ministry as an OTOP (“One Tambon One Product”) tourism village in recognition of its fine oolong tea.
2025 – Opening of the Tham Ngob Inn in the former 3rd KMT army camp in Tham Ngob
2026 – Publication of the first version of the Mae Salong Timeline
Sources
- Personal research during numerous visits
- Bangkok Post archive
- Thailand – a travel survival kit, Joe Cummings, Lonely Planet, 1984
- Wikipedia
- The Politics of Heroin in Southeast Asia, Alfred McCoy, Singapore, 1972
- Burma in Revolt, Opium and Insurgency since 1948, Bertil Lintner, Chiang Mai, 1999
From War Refugees to Immigrants: The Case of the KMT Yunnanese Chinese in Northern Thailand, Wen Chin-Chang, International Migration Review, 2006
Identification of Leadership among the KMT Yunnanese Chinese in Northern Thailand, Wen Chin-Chang, Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, 2002
- Foreign and domestic consequences of the KMT intervention in Burma, Robert H.Taylor, Southeast Asia program, New York, 1973
Hui Yunnanese Migratory History in Relation to the Han Yunnanese and Ethnic Resurgence in Northern Thailand, Wang Liulan, South Asian Studies, 2006