Somsanid Inthongsai

Somsanid Inthongsai is a cross-cultural and experiential educator from Khammouane Province, Laos. He is a history enthusiast, Buddhist practitioner and traveller.

War Trash: Rebuilding Laos With US Bombs

19 min Read Now

Artistic Practice (18/29)

War Trash: Rebuilding Laos With US Bombs

Text by Somsanid Inthongsai, Illustrations by Somsanouk Inthongsai

Growing up in a country littered by the detritus of war, rural Laotians in the most heavily-bombed regions set off into the jungles to harvest unexploded ordnance that could either transform their family’s economic future or seal a terrible fate.

The Secret War in Laos: Tragedy at Tham Piew

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Articles & Essays

The Secret War in Laos: Tragedy at Tham Piew

Text by Somsanid Inthongsai, Illustrations by Somsanouk Inthongsai

During the early years of the U.S. Secret War in Laos, hundreds of villagers hid from the cluster bombs in a deep cave, where they carved out a community over four years until they were detected by a passing U.S. reconnaissance aircraft one afternoon in November 1968.