10/29/97 5:36
Ramasun Station
a Brief History

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In 1966, a 50 man detactment set out from the 5th Radio Research Unit in Bangkok and established itself in a temporary outpost 18 kilometers south of Udorn. At that time little did they know that their mission would evolve into one of the largest operations of its kind in the world, as it remained till closing in 1976.

Early beginnings were rather meager, and obstacles were many; however, the results of the detachments's mission were so successful that it was made a permanent site. More suitable terrain was selected, and bulldozers moved in, evicting a considerable community of ant hills and cobra lairs in the process. The initial site was little more than a tent city rising from the desolate flats of Udorn; however, during the next few years the detachments's success snowballed, and it continued to expand. Ramasun Station was by far the largest and most complex effort of its kind in all of Southeast Asia; and in the rest of the world, it ranked only second to the mammoth effort at Augsburg, Germany.

Ramasun borrowed its name from the powerful Thai mythological "God of Thunder". According to mythology, Ramasun is in eternal pursuit of Mekhala, the beautiful Goddess of lightning. In futile attemps to capture her, Ramasun hurls his huge axe which Mekhala blocks with a magic gem casting powerful rays. The crashing of the axe into the gem results in the thundrclap and lightnig we observed. Thai mythology foretells of Ramasun's pursuit of Mekhala which will continue until the world is destroyed by fire. Over 50 million dollars was devoted to making Ramasun Station one of the finest installations anywhere in the world. It was completely self-sufficient and included its own power plant and water supply. Virtually all facilities on post were air-conditioned and of permanent construction. Streets and sidewalks were paved and fully lit at night. Lawns were landscaped, well attended, and enhanced by a variety of plants and shrubbery.

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