 Naw Kham was formerly a subordinate associate of Khun Sa, a major Burmese drug lord who surrendered to the Burmese government in 1996 in exchange for amnesty.Naw's gang numbered in the hundreds and included members of Khun Sa's former paramilitary forces, along with ethnic rebels.At its height, Naw Kham's militia, the Hawngleuk Militia had 100 members and was based out of Tachileik, near the Thai-Burmese border.