Guns and Roses - a trip to former battlefields

[Lone Rider]

Guns and Roses - a trip to former battlefields

​

The BigFellah and myself have a shared interest in the recent history of Thailand and, as I had a few days free, we decided to visit some of the last battlefields in Thailand - Phu Hin Rongkla and Khao Kho/Khao Ya.



We set of early from Chiangmai on our way to Khao Kho and Khao Ya, spent the night in Khao Kho and the next morning on our way back to Chiangmai made stops at the Phu Hin Rongkla National Park for visits to the Communist Political School and other sights related to the Communist Party of Thailand (CPT). We chose to do the trip anti-clockwise but by hindsight, it would have been better to do it clockwise to be able to better enjoy the tremendous views from road 2331 over the mountains while coming down from the Phu Hin Rongkla National Park.



The roads were steep, in particular while going up road 2331 to the Phu Hin Rongkla National Park with one switchback after another after another. The vertical profile of the acsent of the track shows that we climbed almost 1500 meter over a distance of 18 km.



More to follow....

 

[The Bigfella]

Great trip, thanks mate. Sunset was lovely, over an ale or several...

 

[The Bigfella]

I knew that elevation profile was going to be good, but wow...

Meanwhile... I've lined several beers up here for my tour captain, but he hasn't shown yet... so I've had to drink them.

Speaking of drinks, here's the morning coffee stop on the way down from Chiang Mai

 

[2wheels]

Now that looks like a nice ride!
Does anyone know if the National Parks in that area are open all year?

 

[The Bigfella]

Now that looks like a nice ride!
Does anyone know if the National Parks in that area are open all year?

Contrary to opinion published elsewhere, only some parts of some National Parks are closed during the wet season.

The full list of closures is here:

National Park of Thailand, Online Reservation National Park of Thailand, Forest Park of Thailand, Thailand National Park, Thailand Forest Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, Royal Forest Department

 

[KTMphil]

Well spotted Ian, thankyou

Contrary to opinion published elsewhere, only some parts of some National Parks are closed during the wet season.

The full list of closures is here:

National Park of Thailand, Online Reservation National Park of Thailand, Forest Park of Thailand, Thailand National Park, Thailand Forest Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, Royal Forest Department

 

[KTMphil]

Lots of new info from that trip, nice one guys.

 

[2wheels]

Thank you gentlemen; there's my next ride then.

 

[The Bigfella]

Lots more to come... but beer takes precedence.

Meanwhile... who among us know what this is?

 

[The Bigfella]

Or this?



or this?

 

[Ally]

Thanks Auke & Ian for sharing this


Ally

 

[Lone Rider]

Won't participate in "what is this" as it would be a bit unfair but to come back to the National Parks closures, like the Bigfella said, in most cases only parts of the National Parks are closed with the exception of a few parks in the south (Ko Similan, Ko Surin, Ko Angthong) which are closed completely. Here is what the National Parks Division say about the reasons to close:

"In the rainy season, the weather can change quicky. Fog and low clouds tend to hang low over the landscape. Cliffs may collapse under their own weight after the soil which underlies the sandstone cap is eroded by heavy rain. Heavy rains can also cause flash floods in the streams which run down the mountain and in the sea of Thailand always have big waves and windy. Thus, the national park will be closed for visitors safety."

More info here: National Park of Thailand, Online Reservation National Park of Thailand, Forest Park of Thailand, Thailand National Park, Thailand Forest Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, Royal Forest Department Look at the last column and you will see what parts are closed.

In case of doubt, you can always contact a National Park and ask about the latest situation. Phone numbers are here: National Park of Thailand, Online Reservation National Park of Thailand, Forest Park of Thailand, Thailand National Park, Thailand Forest Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, Royal Forest Department Click on the "Data" in the last column and you will get the contact details (scroll down to the end) as well as all the other things you can see and do in that particular National Park.

 

[2wheels]

Is the green fruit Custard Apple? (Yummy)

Whatever the mushrooms are, and I'd like to know, they are spectacular.

 

[The Bigfella]

Not custard apples. They look like super-sized gooseberries. Re the mushrooms... that's a crappy iPhone pic too... they were a beautiful pink.

Here's another crappy phone pic. I've been fascinated by the amount of Teak I've seen in Asia (having paid as much as $18,000 a cubic metre for some in Oz, a while back)... although a lot of it still has a long way to go. This is one of the newest plantations I've seen.



I'm waiting on Auke to get a move on with some more posts here. I did catch him in a weak moment at the Museum.



There's more of those mystery green balls in this shot, of a Cessna Bird dog

 

[Lone Rider]

Yep, you did catch me at a weak moment but it does show where the name of the thread comes from - Guns and Roses with the roses growing along the walkways around the guns - in this case a Chinese made gun. Not to be outdone here is a picture of the Bigfellah on the controls of a small chopper - unfortunately a bit on the small side for him

The museum is built on what is called Khao Kho which till 1979 was a base for the CPT. In 1979 in Operation Pha Muang Phadetsuk the Thai military managed to dislodge the CPT. For the next two years or so, the Thai military tried to remove the CPT from Khao Ya which consists of two peaks connected by a 3 km. long saddle ridge. The southern peak (1290 M. high) was home of the CPT Headquarters with a miliatry and political school, a hospital, an engineering team and a mobile combat forse protected by anti-aircraft machine guns. The northern peak is slightly lower at 1200 meters.

From 1979 till 1981 the Thai army managed to drive most of the CPT out of the area between Khao Kho and Khao Ya and the Kuomintang soldiers (KMT) was called into action and they finally managed to take the whole area between the two mountains

Map of Khao Kho and Khao Ya in relation to Highway 12 and Highway 21


Operation Pha Muang Phadetsuk 2 to capture Khao Ya (defended by some 2000 CPT soldiers with support from village militias) was started in earnest on 16 February 1981. The government forces consisted of some 3000 infantry troops including some 300 members of the Thahan Phran and 400 KMT soldiers with support provided by the Thai airforce and artillery battalions.

The Thahan Phran (also known as the "Men in Black" or paramilitary rangers) started attacking the Northern Peak. The peak however, was well defended and the Thahan Phran had to retreat.

On March 4 the 1981 the KMT soldiers were again called into action and in the dark they moved around the mountain to the steep cliffs at the back side which was lightly guarded. In the early morning darkness they scaled the cliffs and waited till the Thai Army with the Thahan Phran attacked from the front. The KMT then attacked the CPT from the rear and after a short bloody battle the KMT managed to capture the northern peak and held on to it till the Thai army fought their way up to the summit and joined the KMT.

A few days later (on March 6) the attack on the southern peak followed with the Thahan Phran and the KMT starting the attack from the eastern slope. However, the attack quickly bogged down due to heavy fire from the CPT. That night the KMT repeated the same tactic of moving around the mountain but this time the CPT was ready for it and the KMT troops were pinned down on the southern slope. They managed to hang in there till March 8 by chewing plants for their moisture and with some KMT soldiers drinking their own urine to survive.

On March 8 in the darkness the KMT soldiers moved to the north side of the southern peak. Early in the morning the Thai army with Thahan Phran and additional KMT troops attacked from the east and south side and at that time the KMT troops started their attack from the north. With that 3-pronged attack they finally manged to take the southern peak and on March 9 Operation Pha Muang Phadetsuk 2 was completed (Source: The Secret Army - Chiang Kai-Shek and the Drug Warlords of the Golden Triangle).

Pictures of Marx and Lenin, literature, documents and arms retrived from the southern peak of Khao Ya.

The memorial for the battles of Khao Kho and Khao Ya built at the northern end of Khao Kho

More to follow

 

[KTMphil]

I've been up there riding 4 times and have never seen any of this. You've given me a reason to ride back down there, thanks guys.

 

[2wheels]

Great stuff guys.

Incidentally, a Thai informant tell me that green suit is inedible and there's nothing inside the shell anyway.
But she can't recall the Thai name of the stuff.

 

[Lone Rider]

Great stuff guys. Incidentally, a Thai informant tell me that green suit is inedible and there's nothing inside the shell anyway.
But she can't recall the Thai name of the stuff.

Yes, they were just empty "shells" with nothing in it. In case it would have been a fruit, the branches of the plant would have been hanging straight down to the ground instead of horizontal as is evident from this picture.

 

[The Bigfella]

A couple more photos from the Museum and Memorial

There were six dozers (Cat D6's) used by the Government in the campaign. Three of them "didn't make it". They were used to clear a path through the minefields.



The view from the Museum is stunning, over a long distance. I think Auke might have the panorama view of this.



No takers on my first "what's this?"... so here's a clue. This is the view from the controls



and one from the other side of the "glass"



Speaking of controls.... I like this touch in its big brother....



Another one of the Memorial



... and just outside the Museum



There's more to come from Day 2

 

[The Bigfella]

Great stuff guys.

Incidentally, a Thai informant tell me that green suit is inedible and there's nothing inside the shell anyway.
But she can't recall the Thai name of the stuff.

Its an African plant originally, it seems

Gomphocarpus physocarpus

Maybe that explains the ceramic zebra at the museum? Actually, I don't think anything can explain its presence.

 

[2wheels]

Yeah, why the fascination that so many Thais have with African animal statues?
They appear in so many incongruous places throughout the country.
eg Doi Saket Temple displays a set of Zebra and Giraffe figures.
I've been here over a year now and haven't seen a single Zebra or Giraffe roaming the rice fields.

Maybe this is another thread topic!

 

[Lone Rider]

As mentioned by the BigFellah, here are some of my panoramic pictures of the museum

This picture was taken from the top of the rampart wall on the south-side


Looking to the east from the museum


At the memorial site looking to the north and showing some of the trenches, etc.

 

[The Bigfella]

C'mon Auke... more please.

After we visited the Museum and Memorial, we drove on to visit the Royal Palace, which reminded me a bit of a ski lodge. It is a large circular building, but we didn't get photos, as its screened from view pretty well. My navigation skills were called into dispute during this. Auke put his indicator on to go up the hill to the Palace... "no, the sign said straight on for the Palace" Auke humored me for a few kilometres before turning around and driving up to the Palace. Oops.

I didn't get any photos of our accommodation. It was quite nice. Rooms 1000 baht each. AC and hot water. We selected it because it was the first of the many, many places with cabins, etc that didn't look deserted. Auke had done some research beforehand and accomm. in the area ranges from 600 to 7,000 baht. Our place had a nice restaurant up near the road which attracted a small group of locals for dinner and the big K.

Next morning, we dropped our keys off in the deserted restaurant and headed down to the main road for brekkie. We waited while the monks received their alms



I shouted the rice soup with pork (30 baht) and Auke got the coffee from the adjacent 7-11. We agreed that the only positive thing we could say about the coffee was that it was hot.

I've been holding off posting this iPhone pic, because I know Auke will have a much better shot of it.... and hopefully, a screenshot of the switchbacks which clogged the GPS screen on the way up. We were back to first gear in one spot coming up this, as we'd been the day before on the climb to the Museum. Steep? You better believe it. As Auke said, would be brilliant driving down it... but I'd rather go up it on a bike. I know my Super Enduro would boil at least the rear brake fluid on this one....

 

[2wheels]

Wow to the last pic; sent from iPhone or not!

 

[Lone Rider]

C'mon Auke... more please.

Working on it mate but at the same time I am busy with other thingies (just sent you an email about the pot accusing the kettle that it is black). At the same time one of my doggies is in the animal hospital with blood parasites and, according to the vet, we might loose her soon.

 

[The Bigfella]

Sorry to hear about the pooch, Auke... and that email is stunning. I'm amazed at the pettiness of some people. Kiddie stuff.

While you are otherwise engaged then, here's some photos from the Communist Political School site. IIRC there were over 30 huts there



Not exactly mossie proof... but I'm sure they found ways to keep warm and entertain themselves at night





... and it was in the middle of all these where those wonderful pink funghi were

 

[KTMphil]

Working on it mate but at the same time I am busy with other thingies (just sent you an email about the pot accusing the kettle that it is black). At the same time one of my doggies is in the animal hospital with blood parasites and, according to the vet, we might loose her soon.

Sorry to hear that Auke, I know how attached you are to them.

 

[Lone Rider]

After our visit to the museum, the memorial and a quick look at Khao Ya where, after the battles, a palace was built for the Royal Family, we had a quiet evening with reasonable good food, plenty of drinks, a futile trip to locate a place where Garmin told us we could get a massage and off-key Karaoke songs by other visitors of the Ban Na Toi Guesthouse where we stayed (1000 Baht a night with free WiFi which by the way only works in the Restaurant - located at N16.76428 E101.02354 close to the intersection of Highway 12 with road 2196).

Sunset at Ban Na Toi GH

The next morning we took of for the Phu Hin Rongkla National Park to visit another place where the CPT had reigned supreme for some time. However, on our way to the park, we marvelled at the sights from the amazing road 2331 with curve after curve after curve (a 1470 meter gain in altitude over a distance of 18 Km.).

At the Park Entrance Gate we had a kind of surprise as this was the first time for me that I was charged a Senior-Citizen price to enter the park so instead of the 430 Baht (2 x 200 Baht for foreigners and 30 Baht for the car) we paid only 30 Baht (half price of the entrance price of 20 Baht for Thais and 10 Baht for the car).

From time to time we had a light drizzle but generally the weather was OK - First stop at the Communist Politic and Military School which is right smack along the road and opposte the Air-raid shelter. But first a bit of history of this place (based mainly on "Phu Hin Rong Kla, bizarre rock formations and Montane Forest" by Sjon Hauser with a sprinkling of info from other sources)

After the takeover of Vietnam by the communists (1975), things started getting ugly also in Thailand with rightwing elements, calling everyone who thought different from them, as being communists. In October 1976, the situation exploded and in Bangkok probably hundreds of students were massacred by right-wing groups. As the coup de grâce, the military took over again and installed an ultra-rightist government. I arrived in Chiangmai in 1976 and still remember the coup - we were at the bowling and when word got out that the military had taken power we all shrugged as this was happening in Bangkok and would not concern us directly in Chiangmai. How wrong we were. In the next few months I was called on a regular basis late in the evening by friends who lived at the dorms of Chiangmai University and had to travel back there after visiting friends in town. As I had a car with diplomatic number plates, I was never stopped at the many road clocks set up by the military and my trips consisted off ferrying my friends and students back to campus as otherwise they would have been treated very badly at the many roadblocks set up near the University - see also: Thammasat University massacre - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and
Red Gaurs - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for some of the bad things which happened around that time.

This all resulted in that that thousands of reform-minded citizens — often from Bangkok — lost all hope that Thai society could be improved in a peaceful way and so they decided to join the guerilla forces of the outlawed Communist Party of Thailand (CPT) to fight for democracy. Phu Hin Rongkla was one of their main destinations at is was one of the areas where the CPT held sway. The isolated, rugged and forest-clad mountains suited the purpose of the CPT well and the Hmong hill tribes living in that area, embittered by government policy aimed at eradicating their poppy cultivation, were among the CPT’s earliest allies. With the influx of thousands of disillusioned citizens, the communist insurgency became a more formidable threat than ever before.

Initially, the new arrivals from the cities were enthusiastic and the students became less egocentric and improved their bad habits. Chain-smokers collectively stopped smoking and their revolutionary spirit even impressed the CPT-cadres. The wooden water wheel at a nearby stream is witness to this unity and cooperation. It was constructed by former engineering students from the Chulalongkorn University, and was used to mill and polish the rice for the whole area.

The Water wheel - Picture taker unknown but the picture dates back to around 1978

However, over time the tight discipline was difficult to accept and not following the rules and regulations was punished without mercy. The cadre consisted of dogmatic, hardline-maoists of Chinese origin. They even regarded growing flowers as a ‘bourgeois activity’, and it was thus strictly forbidden.

In Bangkok, meanwhile, the ultra-conservative government was replaced by a moderate regime that initiated a policy of national reconciliation. A blanket amnesty was offered to insurgents who laid down their arms. Many of the former activists — homesick and disappointed by the narrow-minded communist cadre — left the strongholds and returned home and some of them are now active in the present day political parties.

Following the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia (1978), the internal struggle between the Vietnam leaning factions and the China leaning factions weakened the CPT internally resulting in that in the end China withdrew its support. In 1981, Khao Kho and Khao Ya, which were other CPT stongholds in the same region were captured by the Thai Army wit support from the Thahan Phran and the KMT. When Phu Hin Rong Kla was assaulted a year later, the insurgents had already left. The government had won the "people’s war", and Thailand did not fall as dominos unlike other countries in the region and later, during the 1980s, the communist resistance in Thailand completely petered out.

​

Painting of one of the CPT strongholds

Part of the "multiple use area" at the political/military school

We made a small side trip to the parking place from where you can reach Flag Pole Cliff (Pha Chu Thong), Lan Hin Taek and the headquarters of the CPT and although we started out, after some time we turned back as both of us were a but handicapped - Ian with his knee and me with my lungs.

The trails are slippery and in parts full of cracks and we were afraid that we might not make it to the destination. So just a few pictures of Flag Pole Cliff and Lan Hin Taek/Poem which I got from the site of the National Parks Division





On the way back home we made some additional discoveries - not sure what to make out of this though

and right after the the junction of highway 11 and 101 west of Den Chai we found these beauties made out of bits and pieces of wood - not cheap through as the elephant was said to cost 50,000 Baht.

(apologies for the overlap of the reports but that happens sometimes)

 

[bigntall]

Fantastic report gents. Auke is the book you referenced as a source of info on the first page a worthy read? Any worthwhile reads that you've perused that cover Thailand's difficulties with communism once the U.S. backed out of Vietnam? Love this quote from one of the sources: .........lost .....all ...............hope ".......that Thai society could be improved in a peaceful way and so they decided to join the guerilla forces of the outlawed Communist Party of Thailand (CPT) to fight for democracy." Interesting position to join the communists to fight for democracy. A chin scratcher there.

 

[The Bigfella]

Auke at the same spot he captured one of me.



Yeah, that little trek to try and see the flagpole got the better of us on the day. I climbed one of the trunks of the fallen tree.... looked at the next obstacle, which was going to need me to climb through it with my buggered knee... and that was it. No thanks..

As for that weird building... it has to be some sort of opium-related thing.



On the way back, Auke stopped for me to try and take a photo of the storks at one place where they always seem to be. I was really wishing I had my Nikon with the 80-400 lens... but all I had was me with my shaky iPhone. This one is a young'un by the look of it... note the head feathers



and some adults



We saw a couple of dozen here, but a kilometre or so further on, there was a plowed patch, about 50 metres square, with a couple of hundred of them in it... along with big herons and egrets

 

[Lone Rider]

Fantastic report gents. Auke is the book you referenced as a source of info on the first page a worthy read? Any worthwhile reads that you've perused that cover Thailand's difficulties with communism once the U.S. backed out of Vietnam? Love this quote from one of the sources: .........lost .....all ...............hope ".......that Thai society could be improved in a peaceful way and so they decided to join the guerilla forces of the outlawed Communist Party of Thailand (CPT) to fight for democracy." Interesting position to join the communists to fight for democracy. A chin scratcher there.

It is interesting reading but a bit "dry". There are so many facts in it with plenty of footnotes and references to the source of the information so it takes time to finish the book.

Another interesting tidbit was the role of the Thahan Phran and the KMT. By 1981 80% of the Thai Government forces fighting the insurgents consisted of Thahan Phran rangers. They were poorly paid and minimally equipped and were therefore cheaper and more expendable than the regular army units. There is good book about the history and origins of the Thahan Phran - "The men in Black". The BigFellah is reading that at the moment.

With regard to the KMT they were even cheaper - for the battles at Khao Kho and Khao Ya 400 KMT soldiers were "hired" to help for 45 days and after that they were no longer paid. Moreover, the Thai Government Forces saw the KMT, being foreigners" even more expandable. Out of the 400, some 26 KMT soldiers dies and 82 were wounded during the battles to take Khao Kho and Khao Ya.

 

[bigntall]

Auke - Thanks for the above nuggets. Are the Thahan Phran the only black fatigued military soldiers? I've seen them before but thought they were the border police. Some more info on the Thahan Phran souced from Wiki: The Thahan Phran was established in 1978 to fight Communist Party of Thailand (CPT) guerrillas and drive them from their mountain strongholds in northeast Thailand.[SUP][1][/SUP] Conceived by General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, then Director of the Army Operations Centre at RTA headquarters in Bangkok, the unit was to be composed of recruits from regions affected by the communist insurgency, who would be given intensive training courses of 45 days, issued with modern weapons, and then sent back to their villages to mount guerrilla operations against the communists.[SUP][2][/SUP] On the western frontier, where there is sporadic fighting, the Thahan Phran work closely with the RTA and the Border Patrol Police. On the eastern border, facing Laos and Cambodia, they now have primary responsibility for border surveillance and protection. Many Rangers have been killed or wounded in recent years during cross-border attacks by Burmese troops or their allies, the United Wa State Army and Democratic Karen Buddhist Army. In February 2001, a 19-man Thahan Phran base designated Unit 9631, situated at Ban Pang Noon near Mae Sai on the Thai-Myanmar border, was captured by 500 Burmese troops.[SUP][27][/SUP] The RTA has tripled the strength of the Thahan Phran in the southern peninsula since violence surged there in 2004.[SUP][28][/SUP]
In October 1981 a 39-man unit of Thahan Phran and Burmese guerrillas attempted to assassinate the drug warlord Khun Sa at the instigation of the US Drug Enforcement Administration.[SUP][29][/SUP] The attempt failed,[SUP][30][/SUP] however in January 1982 a Thahan Phran squad from Pak Thong Chai, together with units from the BPP and the Royal Thai Army, was used to force Khun Sa to move his headquarters from Ban Hin Taek in northwest Thailand across the border into Myanmar.[SUP][31][/SUP]
Units of the Thahan Phran have been sent to the deep south to curb the South Thailand insurgency since 2004.[SUP][32][/SUP] They been responsible for apprehending and killing many key leaders in the area, but have also suffered casualties from ambushes Apparently during the Redshirts riots and shootings in Bangkok in 2010 there were accusations that the Thahan Phran were the folks pulling the triggers. Not sure if that statement is fabrication or based on hard evidence though.

 

[bigntall]

Auke - Thanks for the above nuggets. Are the Thahan Phran the only black fatigued military soldiers? I've seen them before but thought they were the border police. Some more info on the Thahan Phran souced from Wiki: The Thahan Phran was established in 1978 to fight Communist Party of Thailand (CPT) guerrillas and drive them from their mountain strongholds in northeast Thailand.[SUP][1][/SUP] Conceived by General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, then Director of the Army Operations Centre at RTA headquarters in Bangkok, the unit was to be composed of recruits from regions affected by the communist insurgency, who would be given intensive training courses of 45 days, issued with modern weapons, and then sent back to their villages to mount guerrilla operations against the communists.[SUP][2][/SUP] On the western frontier, where there is sporadic fighting, the Thahan Phran work closely with the RTA and the Border Patrol Police. On the eastern border, facing Laos and Cambodia, they now have primary responsibility for border surveillance and protection. Many Rangers have been killed or wounded in recent years during cross-border attacks by Burmese troops or their allies, the United Wa State Army and Democratic Karen Buddhist Army. In February 2001, a 19-man Thahan Phran base designated Unit 9631, situated at Ban Pang Noon near Mae Sai on the Thai-Myanmar border, was captured by 500 Burmese troops.[SUP][27][/SUP] The RTA has tripled the strength of the Thahan Phran in the southern peninsula since violence surged there in 2004.[SUP][28][/SUP]
In October 1981 a 39-man unit of Thahan Phran and Burmese guerrillas attempted to assassinate the drug warlord Khun Sa at the instigation of the US Drug Enforcement Administration.[SUP][29][/SUP] The attempt failed,[SUP][30][/SUP] however in January 1982 a Thahan Phran squad from Pak Thong Chai, together with units from the BPP and the Royal Thai Army, was used to force Khun Sa to move his headquarters from Ban Hin Taek in northwest Thailand across the border into Myanmar.[SUP][31][/SUP]
Units of the Thahan Phran have been sent to the deep south to curb the South Thailand insurgency since 2004.[SUP][32][/SUP] They been responsible for apprehending and killing many key leaders in the area, but have also suffered casualties from ambushes Apparently during the Redshirts riots and shootings in Bangkok in 2010 there were accusations that the Thahan Phran were the folks pulling the triggers. Not sure if that statement is fabrication or based on hard evidence though.

- - - Updated - - -

Auke - Thanks for the above nuggets. Are the Thahan Phran the only black fatigued military soldiers? I've seen them before but thought they were the border police. Some more info on the Thahan Phran souced from Wiki: The Thahan Phran was established in 1978 to fight Communist Party of Thailand (CPT) guerrillas and drive them from their mountain strongholds in northeast Thailand.[SUP][1][/SUP] Conceived by General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, then Director of the Army Operations Centre at RTA headquarters in Bangkok, the unit was to be composed of recruits from regions affected by the communist insurgency, who would be given intensive training courses of 45 days, issued with modern weapons, and then sent back to their villages to mount guerrilla operations against the communists.[SUP][2][/SUP] On the western frontier, where there is sporadic fighting, the Thahan Phran work closely with the RTA and the Border Patrol Police. On the eastern border, facing Laos and Cambodia, they now have primary responsibility for border surveillance and protection. Many Rangers have been killed or wounded in recent years during cross-border attacks by Burmese troops or their allies, the United Wa State Army and Democratic Karen Buddhist Army. In February 2001, a 19-man Thahan Phran base designated Unit 9631, situated at Ban Pang Noon near Mae Sai on the Thai-Myanmar border, was captured by 500 Burmese troops.[SUP][27][/SUP] The RTA has tripled the strength of the Thahan Phran in the southern peninsula since violence surged there in 2004.[SUP][28][/SUP]
In October 1981 a 39-man unit of Thahan Phran and Burmese guerrillas attempted to assassinate the drug warlord Khun Sa at the instigation of the US Drug Enforcement Administration.[SUP][29][/SUP] The attempt failed,[SUP][30][/SUP] however in January 1982 a Thahan Phran squad from Pak Thong Chai, together with units from the BPP and the Royal Thai Army, was used to force Khun Sa to move his headquarters from Ban Hin Taek in northwest Thailand across the border into Myanmar.[SUP][31][/SUP]
Units of the Thahan Phran have been sent to the deep south to curb the South Thailand insurgency since 2004.[SUP][32][/SUP] They been responsible for apprehending and killing many key leaders in the area, but have also suffered casualties from ambushes Apparently during the Redshirts riots and shootings in Bangkok in 2010 there were accusations that the Thahan Phran were the folks pulling the triggers. Not sure if that statement is fabrication or based on hard evidence though.

 

[The Bigfella]

Almost all that - all bar that last bit - sounds like its taken from the book Auke loaned me, written by a foremost Aussie SE Asia / defence analyst, Desmond Ball.

 

[Lone Rider]

Guess that the Wiki, as also mentioned by the BigFellah, comes from the book by Desmond Ball - the book he is reading at the moment. Yes, most of the guys in black uniforms you see are Thahan Phran or also known as "the men in black" which incidentally is also the title of the book by Desmond Ball. Each "regiment" has its own color for the scarf they are using, Blue, red, etc.

 

[Changnoi1]

The area of Khao Kho, Phu Thabuk and Phu Hin Rong Khla are indeed beautiful and full of recent history. But imo not such a beautiful part of Thailands history. Imo the Thai government slaughtered and killed people that were against the ruling clan of that moment. And nothing has changed .... the men in black are still around and doing their jobs sometimes on the street of Bangkok. And guess what for the most Thai it is just a tourist attraction and they actually do not have a clue what happened (same at the Bridge over the river Kwai).

Chang Noi

 

[The Bigfella]

Auke sent me a screengrab of the switchbacks going up to the National Park on the second day

 

[KTMphil]

I almost forgot how great that road was

Auke sent me a screengrab of the switchbacks going up to the National Park on the second day

 

[MastaMax]

As for that weird building... it has to be some sort of opium-related thing.

Got me curious, seems like you only saw the "tip of the iceberg"... Here is what I found:


I'll read through it see what I can understand...

 

[Lone Rider]

Max. yes, behind the building in the picture which was on the main road, there were several other structures. But, as we were both a bit knackered and still had a long ride back to Chiangmai, we decided not to explore further at that time but I certainly will stop over there again on one of my many planned trips. In the mean time I look forward to what you can dig out.