 It was not until 1982 that the soldiers were able to give up their arms and were discharged to settle down to a normal life at Mae Salong.As a reward for their service, the Thai government gave citizenship to most of the KMT soldiers and their families.Despite the Thai government's attempts to integrate the KMT division and their families into the Thai nation, the inhabitants of Mae Salong preferred for many years to engage in the illegal opium trade, alongside the drug warlord Khun Sa of the Shan United Army.