The Ghosts of Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park

Straddling Phitsanulok Province on its western side, Loei Province on the eastern and bordering Phetchabun to the south, Phu Hin Rong Kla was just 20 years ago one of the most inaccessible areas in the Kingdom. On its northern edge it borders Chaiburi District in Laos. Today it is easily accessible, but far enough off the beaten path for it to remain relatively unspoiled. Pervaded by a sense of serenity, one does not immediately conjure images of the turmoil, the bombing and bloodshed that put Phu Hin Rong Kla on the map in the 1970s, yet the ghosts of the past remain.

Early Morning in Hin Rong Kla Hmong Village

From 1972 until 1982, the steep-sloped mountains of the region were the tactical headquarters for the Thai Communist Party (CPT). Because of its rugged terrain, its remoteness, its proximity to Laos and to Kunming, Phu Hin Rong Kla was the ideal location for training young cadres for guerrilla warfare against an oppressive military regime. Kunming, in China's Yunnan Province, only 300 kms to the north, supplied arms, medical equipment and instructors.

In the early 1970s a combination of external and internal events led to the growth of left-leaning politics. The defeat of the U.S.A. in the Vietnam War and the failure of parliamentary politics in Thailand to address social problems resulted in a significant shift to the Left among students favoring democracy and social justice, against imperialism and the corrupt elitist Right.

On the 14th of October 1973, students, labor leaders and other political activists peacefully staged protests in Bangkok at Sanam Luang – the Royal Grounds – and Thammasat University. Thanom Kittikachorn, Prime Minister and American-supported virtual military dictator, responded by loosing army tanks and helicopters on the demonstrators. The death toll was over 400. The entire Kingdom was deeply shocked. As a result, Thanom fled to Singapore in exile. Having through corruption amassed unknown millions of dollars in Swiss Bank accounts, he suffered little.

Sign in the National Park

After 1973, students continued to play an increasing role in progressive politics, involving themselves in labour disputes, land rights movements and leading protests against U.S. military bases and the destruction of the environment. When an unrepentant Thanom returned to Thailand in 1976, the growing Democracy movement reacted. More protests were organized, calling for his expulsion and the creation of a Constitution.

The protestors were portrayed by the military and the elite as communists and anti-monarchists. As a result, student and labor leaders were assassinated and on October 6th, again at Thammasat University, demonstrators were brutally massacred by police and paramilitary thugs armed with grenades, machine-guns and handheld anti-tank rockets. The official death toll, published long after the fact, was 41 – the real figure was much higher.

The police denied involvement. At the time, the official "Facts of the Incident on 6 October, 1976", published immediately after the massacre, stated: "It is regrettable that despite the efforts of police to save them, four students were lynched. Some police brutality has been alleged, but in reality most of the police...restrained themselves." There has never an accurate death-count. Most scholars believe it to be around a hundred. Thousands were wounded. Many people simply disappeared.

The tragic incident set the stage for further right – and left wing – reaction; the military then staged a coup to overthrow the government of M.R. Seni Pramoj. Thousands of students – the best of their generation – fled for their lives to the jungle where the CPT welcomed them. Disillusioned by their disastrous efforts to promote Democracy, they adopted Maoist and Stalinist methods to bring about change in their homeland.

Hidden Under Thick Canopy, Much of the Old Camp Remains

The government had failed again, miserably, to bring about a defeat of the Left. The military government further acerbated the problem by revoking land rights and citizenship of all indigenous tribal peoples in ‘sensitive' areas.

One very ‘sensitive' area was Phu Hin Rong Kla, home only to a few thousand Hmong villagers before the CPT entered the picture. Previously unconcerned by outside politics, they were now pushed by the Thai Government to the point where they had little choice but to join the insurgent communist movement.

For the young Thai intellectuals there was an element of romance in abandoning their previously comfortable urban existence. They were committed to fight government oppression and exact revenge for the brutal murders at Thammasat and the assassinations of their leaders. The realities however of a jungle existence, the rigors of jungle warfare, the harsh Maoist indoctrination and draconian punishments dealt out to any form of dissention, eventually disillusioned all but the most committed.

Flagpole Cliff, Where the Communists Flew Their Flag After Defeating Government Troops

Phu Hin Rong Kla was the strategic headquarters for the CPT and its tactical arm, The People's Liberation Army of Thailand (PLAT). The mountainous terrain became the stage for many battles between the Thai military and the PLAT. In 1972 the Thai 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Armies – with further support from the Thai Navy, Air force and National Guard – mounted in vain an offensive to dislodge the stronghold. It was not until 1980 and 1981 that fierce battles were partially successful in the military's attempts to regain the territory.

The decisive move was eventually not military but political. In 1982, amnesty was granted for students and villagers who had joined the communists after October 6th, 1976. The local villagers, mostly Hmong, and most of the remaining students who had initially sided with the communists, decided to abandon their allies. Weakened by combat, attrition and continuing defections, after a last major offensive by the Thai Army, the PLAT finally surrendered in late 1982. Two years later Phu Hin Rong Kla was officially declared a National Park.

Hmong Ex-Communist Mr. Leng, Now a Park Guide, Demonstrates an Anti-Aircraft Gun

Today, ex-communist cadres from nearby Hmong villages acting as National Park guides, escort visitors through the jungle, to caves and outcrops previously used as air-raid shelters, past trenches and wooden encampments hidden under thick canopy that stand in mute testimony to the hardships and heartbreak of the tumultuous aftermath of the Viet Nam War. They will recount tales of hardship and bygone battles and 4-month-long journeys on foot from Phu Hin Rong Kla to China and back carrying weapons and medical supplies. There is an interesting museum at the park headquarters, with relics and a history of the CPT's struggle against the corrupt military dictatorship.

Nearby are several traditional Hmong villages, where the industrious tribal people have turned their hands back to agriculture. Unfortunately, many of them still do not have citizenship or legal rights to the land on which they've lived for generations. Yet a feeling of peace pervades the area. The ghosts seem to be at rest, for the present anyway.

Note: From the Bangkok Post, April 26, 2004

“Government interference in the media is at its worst point since the Oct 6, 1976 Thammasat University massacre led an ultra-conservative government to suppress press freedom, says academic Nithi Eawsriwong. Ruj Komolbutr, lecturer of Thammasat University's faculty of journalism and mass communications, said the Thaksin government had interfered with the media 31 times in the past three years.”

Further Note:

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The Park:

Because of its high altitude, the park is relatively cool all year round. The climate is similar to that of Phu Kra Dung and Phu Luang National Parks ; between November and January, temperatures occasionally drop to near freezing point.

The mountain range includes the peaks of Phu Phu Mahn Yow, the tallest in the park at 1,800 metres above sea level. The second tallest is Phu Lom Loh at 1,664 metres. The forest consists of mixed deciduous, dry dipterocarp, dry evergreen, and hill evergreen forests.

Natural Rock Formation

Mixed deciduous forest tends to be spacious and open with tree species including Dipterocarpus obtusifolius, Shorea obtusa, Shorea siamensis and Dipterocarpus tuberculatus.

Dry evergreen forest usually has richer and moister soil, particularly in higher elevations and along streambeds. Species include Dipterocarpus alatus, Hopea ferrea, Hopea oborata, Anisoptera cochinchinensis, Dalbergia oliveri, Chukrasia venlatina and bamboo.

Hill evergreen forest is seen at elevations of 1,000 meters and up. Species tend to be soft woods. Important species include Dacrydium elatum, Betula alnoides, Eugenia cumini, Anneslea fragrans Podocarpus imbricatus and Pinus merksii P. kasiya.

Sandy and rocky flat areas on ridge tops support Sphagnum recuryum, algae, lichens and perennial plants such as Burmannia disticha and Osbeckia chinensis. Many orchid species and rhododendron can be found in the rocky areas. Many flowers bloom only between the rainy and cool seasons, in November, but there are always flowers to found blooming year round.

In the past, the region supported greater diversity of wildlife, but due to the years of fighting and bombing the previous populations was disturbed. Remaining wildlife includes tigers, leopards, marbled cats, leopard cats, Asiatic Black Bear, wild boar, fox, monkeys, civets, pangolins, wild hare and others. Over a hundred bird species such as barbets, Common Flameback, Silver Pheasant, Asian Barred Owlet, Brown Hawk-Owl, Jungle Fowl, bulbuls, swifts and swallows are year round residents in the park. As the Hmong are today less reliant on hunting for their subsistence, more animals are found today than a decade ago.

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Highlights and Attractions:

Elder Hmong Woman at Hin Rong Kla

Museum: At park headquarters is a museum dedicated to the communist insurgency. In it are weapons, training manuals, Chinese medical texts and instruments and photographs.

Lan Hin Dtaek : 300 meters to the west of the Thai army headquarters is Lan Hin Dtaek (broken rock field), a previous battlefield. Along the path, growing in deep rock crevices, are various plant species including mosses, ferns and ground orchids. Some crevices are narrow enough to jump across; others have small wooden bridges.

Lan Hin Dtaek, Traversed by Deep Crevices Was the Site of Fierce Battles Only 22 Years Ago

Lan Hin Boom: About 4 km from the park's headquarters, above the cliffs, is a field of nodular stone. It is believed that this formation resulted from physical and chemical erosion. Patients from the hospital suffering from fever used the area as a rest spot, as a cool breeze blows over the area almost continuously.

Flag-pole cliff: A steep cliff overlooking a valley to the west. The communists used this cliff to fly their red flag after each victory over the government forces.

Romglao and Paradon Waterfalls: Romglao Waterfall is located 5 km from the park's headquarters. As you approach the road to the School of Military Politics, the path to the waterfall is on the left and leads about 1 km off the road to the waterfall. The forest in this area is in a healthy condition with many large trees. A side trail leads to Paradon Waterfall, downstream from Romglao Falls.

Sripachrin Waterfall: This medium-sized waterfall is located about 600 meters off the road, near Huay Namsai village.

Cottage at Phu Hin Rong Kla

Ganglad and Tadfa Waterfalls: Set at the foot of Phu Hin Rong Kla, Ganglad Falls is located about 2 km from Huay Namsai. At the base of the falls is a small hydroelectric generator. If you climb 3 or 4 km further up the mountain, you will reach Tadfa Waterfall (also known as Tan Gawsahng Waterfall), an impressive, towering falls.

Campground and cottages: There are comfortable cabins with hot water and fine views near the park headquarters. Camping is also an option.

How to get there:

From Phitsanuloke, 377 km north of Bangkok, take Highway no.12 east toward Lomsak for 68 km to Ban Yang. At Ban Yang, take a left turn (north) and travel 29 km on Highway no.201 to Nakorn Thai district. From Nakorn Thai it is 28 kms to park headquarters by local transportation.