2003 Oct : Khao Kho, Petchaboon

In October 2003 we visited Petchaboon.

Geographically, this mountainous province is located in the center of the upper part of Thailand.

Before the trip I did not realize that in the middle of Thailand, which was not that far from Bangkok, there were wars going on for decades until early 1980s.

Wikipedia says:

During the period between 1968-1982 communist insurgents established bases in the mountains in the province. From hidden locations they fought occasional skirmishes against the Thai Army.

No wonder I did not know! I was away from Thailand most of the time during those years, and without smart phones and the internet this kind of the news never traveled far!

After this trip in 2003 I did some research about it.

And my summary is : "What a sad history that could have and should have been avoided!"

Phu Hin Rong Kla is a very beautiful place but was a battle field and is full of sorrowful past.
Phu Hin means rocky mountain. Phu Hin Rong Kla is now a national park that spreads across Petchaboon, Loei, and Pitsanulok provinces.

According to Wikipedia,

"In 1968 - 1982, Phuhinrongkla or Phurongkla is a dense jungle and the red area because it is a battle field between Communist of Thailand party and Security Forces. At the end of the fight, there was no winner because the Security Force announced a temporary policy. They gave a chance to students and people who escaped into the jungle come back to the city and help them develop the country."

Our trip brought us to this jungle.   Wow!

The rickety Communist Headquarters, political military school, villages with air raid shelters, a simple hospital, and etc. in the woods were ... simply OVERWHELMING.

During the wartime those wooden buidlings might have looked newer, but obviously electricity or even clean tap water was not available.

We saw detailed instructions of how to deal with sickness from ordinary illness to malaria, and, for girls, how to deal with their menstruation as sanitary pads of the civilized world did not exist, nor were there any convenience stores in the jungle.

Goodness! What kind of life did they have up here?!

Many college kids who fled Bangkok to this place were mostly of my generation, or only a few years older.

For them life must have been quite a great change!

But, what a challenge!

I guess it was their lofty ideologies that made them dare to give up their "comfort zone" in Bangkok to come up here in the middle of the jungle to fight against the powers-that-be in order to achieve something they firmly believed was better for the country and mankind.

Meanwhile the gov's side thought these kids were brainwashed and mislead by the enemy.

I am glad the conflicts ended well for both sides, although many lost their lives in the battles, leaving their beloved ones with eternal grief and hardship.

Thank goodness there has been no more "wars" in this region.


In January 2020 I found a few articles written in Thai, dated June 23, 2017, by a former paramilitary ranger, Sua Pulomlo, of his firsthand experience in the area during those years of conflicts: ย้อนรอยภูหินร่องกล้าตอน 1 (Remembering Phu Hin Rong Kla).   This is Part One.

The photo above from Part 1 shows Sua (the bigger man) and his former enemy, "Comrade Meena", in front of the latter's war-time "house" in the woods. Now the two are very good friends.

These days Mr. Sua is a senior park ranger at Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park.
His experience during those years of "fighting against the insurgents has made him know every single square foot of the region.

The other parts are listed below. Each has precious historical photos:
Part 2   Part 3   Part 4   Part 5   Part 6   Part 7   Part 8   Part 9


Here are our photos from the trip in 2003:

• The cave in the photos above used to be an air-raid shelter.

• The sign on the small hut says:

Seksan and Jiranun, who were the leaders of the university students, used to stay in this house for a while.

• There were about 30 similar huts in the woods. Only the leaders lived here.
• The air-raids did not happen around this area too often, that was why these huts were rather intact.

• Bottom photos in the above: Me and my boys in front of what used to be (the enemy's) "Politics and Military School"

See our original photos and the edited ones displayed here on this page : 2003 Oct 24 : Phu Hin Rong Kla


Good videos that I found on the internet (in Jan 2020):
• Introducing the Politics and Military School (in Thai) : ข่าว3มิติ โรงเรียนการเมืองทหาร ภูหินร่องกล้า (Oct 16, 2016)
• About this School and peculiar rocks in the region (in English) : Thailand@Large : Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park (Apr 19, 2018)
• This one is also good: ASIATRAVELROUTES.COM : Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park (Dec 23, 2014)

On Oct 24 we stayed at Phucome Resort on Khao Kho. Khao means mountain.

This resort was high on the mountain. A really nice and quiet place!

Weather up there was so cool - somewhat "cold" for our boys, who were more used to the hot and humid weather in Bangkok. When the resort manager asked whether we wanted air-conditioned rooms or not, all of us said no.

See the above photos on my google album : 2003 Oct 24-25 : Phucome Resort, Khao Kho

Next, we visited Khao Kho War Monument.

There was a museum of weapons at Itti Base and a monument. The two places are about 1 km apart.

We arrived at the museum first:

Enlarged and cropped photos:

According to Tourism Authority of Thailand,

"In 1981, the fight against communist on Khao Kho was on going and Itti Base was used to set up cannons as support under the command of Colonel Itti Simarak. He won the battle and retrieved Khao Kho back from communist power. The base was named after him since then. After the war was over, the base has been turned into outdoor museum as a memorial of the important strategic spot. [...] For not only theres a sightseeing of weapons but also one of the most important history lessons of Thailand on its turning point... [...]"

These weapons were used by the military against the "Communists" that included the college kids who fled the cities to the jungle on Phu Hin Rong Kla.

Each display and the description around the museum saddened every visitor, but maybe not our boys, who had never been in any wars except in their games.

It was also difficult for me to imagine the insecured and stressful life amidst near-zero amenities in the jungle during those wartime decades.

Peace is precious and should not be taken for granted!

The same with freshly brewed delicious coffee! I am glad during our visit in 2003 I could enjoy a cup of espresso, the very best one, at the (only one?) outdoor coffee shop by the cliff. What a shame my fading memory could not tell me whether the shop was in front of the museum or in front of the monument. I think I need to revisit these places again sometime to make sure. Hope it still exists.

After the coffee we arrived at the monument:

The official description of the place:

Khao Kho Sacrificial Monument was built to honour the heroic deeds and sacrifices of the civilians, soldiers, policemen and those who sacrificed their lives in the fight to protect the connecting area of the three provinces. Their heroic deeds will always will be remembered and praised among Thailand's people.   (Source: Bangkok Post : Thailand Guide)

In the bottom right photo above you could see Kanchanapisek Pagoda in the far back. To tell the truth I did not know what that white pagoda was until Jan 2020 when I reviewed these old photos and did some google search.

According to Dekho Thailand,

"This huge monument was built in the year 2000. It is 69 feet high, marking the 69th birth anniversary of his majesty the King."

See our photos in the above on my google album : 2003 Oct 25 : Khao Kho