DMS Today

As late as the mid-1970s, Doi Mae Salong was strictly off-limits to outsiders.^[13] Since 1994, Santikhiri has capitalised on its unique history and has developed into a tourist attraction, with its narrow winding streets lined with inns, noodle shops and teashops. As a result, Santikhiri has become one of Thailand’s top ten destinations among backpackers today.^[14] The former soldiers had already settled down, some of them having married ethnic Chinese brides who crossed the border after the fighting stopped, and others having married local Thais. The old soldiers and their descendants, carry on their normal lives peacefully now, but still retain their Chinese identity; the main language spoken remains Mandarin. As of 2007, General Lue Ye-tien, aged 90 and Tuan’s former right-hand man, is the leader of the group, after taking over the leadership on Tuan’s death in 1980.^[3]

The crop substitution programs successfully encouraged the cultivation of tea, coffee, corn and fruit trees, replacing the opium poppies that had previously been grown. New fruit orchards and tea factories were also set up, followed by production facilities for fruit wines and Chinese herbs, which are particularly popular amongst the Thai and Chinese tourists from Taiwan, Southeast Asia’s Chinese communities and China today.^[15]

*Source: Wikipedia