Chinese Nationalist troops entered Thailand in the 1960s and were divided into three main groups. The KMT 5th Army; numbering just under 2;000 men and commanded by General Tuan Shi-wen; established an armed camp on Doi Mae Salong close by the Burmese frontier in Chiang Rai Province.

The KMT 3rd Army; numbering around 1;500 men under the command of General Li Wen-huan; made its headquarters at the remote and inaccessible settlement of Tam Ngop; in the farthest reaches of Chiang Mai Province.

Finally a smaller force of about 500 men; the KMT 1st Independent Unit under General Ma Ching-kuo; acted as a link between the two main factions; reporting directly to Taiwan. All three groups were considered to be "Haw" by the Thais; though of the three commanding officers only one; General Ma Ching-kuo; was a Muslim.