Today, militia loll in hammocks nearby. They no longer routinely kill uninvited visitors, but neither do they exactly welcome them. Their presence doesn't seem to bother newcomers to Pailin, though. We can talk - they're all human. The immediate concern for most in Pailin seems to be development, or the lack thereof.
Fires rage through the thick roadside undergrowth and massive bamboo stands.
A snowfall of ash carpets freshly burnt areas. Everywhere the forest cover is being pushed back to make way for small plots with stilted huts, often patched together from old Chinese ammunition cases. A drought has afflicted many farmers. Closer to Thailand, even larger areas have been cleared to create huge parks for felled logs that one day may be transported across the border. For now, the Thais have closed the crossing to timber traders.