Re: Romanized citation: Thai Kaccaayanasuttaniddesa

I'm glad we cleared this up:

> However, Nakorn Phanom (the province of That
> (Dhaatu) Phanom) is the far Northeast of Thailand and Nakorn
> Pathom are two very different places. Nakorn Pathom is 30
> kilometers northwest of Bangkok.

Another near disaster caused by Romanization!  Imagine the confusion that
might have ensued.

> As a side note, the American bombing which largely ended in
> 1972 ...

That is not true at all; the Nixon & Kissinger announcement in 1972 was
actually followed by an escalation in saturation bombing, and of
helicopter-based depopulation raids --the latter killed many of the people
who had already become accustomed to finding shelter in caves.  Nixon's
policy from 1972-1975 was to massively escalate operations aimed at
eliminating food production in Laos & central Vietnam --this included
"chemtrailing" and simple mass murder of rural/agricultural populations. 
However, his press announcements from 1972 onwards gave the impression that
bombing was in decline --when in fact the opposite was the case.  This is
especially true of "the other theatre" (i.e., where the war was unofficial)
  --both Lao & Cambodia.

> ...probably did not destroy That Phanom.

Having seen the photos of the temple on the day of its collapse, I would
indeed say that it was *not* directly bombed --however, an explosion nearby
(perhaps even on the other bank of the river?) could have shaken the earth
enough to cause the old stupa to collapse.  If it is "tenable" that the rain
alone cause the collapse, is it not tenable that active warfare (not only
air-raids, but armed conflict on the ground) could have been a decisive
factor?

E.M.

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