Thongluan Nonthapha's mind often wanders off to South Korea where his 21-old-year son, Sarawuth, now works at a factory.
His son left Ban Pang Lao village in Chiang Rai's Muang district three months ago to work abroad, one among a growing number who have fled Thailand to escape a region wracked by drug use.
The village, in Southeast Asia's opium-producing Golden Triangle, was once a major transit stop for drug smugglers, leaving its youth devastated by drug addiction. Despite years of improvements, the narcotics threat has returned.
"When he was here, I was concerned about the drug-taking," Mr Thongluan said of his son. "But now I'm concerned how he is doing living abroad in a strange land."
He said his son was forced into a drug rehabilitation programme three times to quit ya ba, or methamphetamine, before he eventually turned over a new leaf.
Villagers at Ban Pang Lao in Chiang Rai's Muang district — from left Thongluan Nonthapha, Pramuan Nonthapha, and Thirayuth Onsri — wait for news from their sons who work in South Korea. The village was once plagued with drug addiction among youths. Several young men now have undergone a drug rehabilitation programme, started a new life and new jobs abroad. Tawatchai Khemgumnerd
The authorities helped by giving him Korean language lessons, and he finally landed a job at an iron smelting plant in South Korea.
Ban Pang Lao, in tambon Mae Khao Tom, is a community of Lao people who migrated from provinces in the Northeast and settled here in 1957, said Noon Saenlamoon, the village head.
In this closely-knit village, locals retain their traditions and cultural identity, he said.
The community now has about 180 households with about 800 residents. Most of them are farmers growing corn and cassava, while many adults go abroad to work in countries such as Israel, South Korea, Taiwan and Malaysia.
The absence of adults leaves children and teenagers vulnerable to drug problems, Mr Noon said.
Between 1995 and 1996, the village was labelled as a drug "red zone", with many locals involved in drugs as both traffickers and consumers, he said.
Social sanctions were adopted against those involved in drugs in which other villagers refused to talk to them, help them or go to their funerals.
The drug problems eased during the nationwide war on drugs campaign launched by the Thaksin Shinawatra government, Mr Noon said.
When night fell, villagers would not sleep because they feared their children might be lured into taking or selling drugs and would be arrested or killed by police.
Extra-judicial killings by authorities became well known. Mr Noon said one couple suspected of being involved in the drug trade were killed in Khon Kaen. But he said the killings discouraged other potential drug-dealers in the village and gave locals a chance to rehabilitate the community.
However, the narcotics scourge re-emerged in 2013 when 30 teenagers in the village tested positive for drugs following a random urine sample test initiated by community leaders. The drug known as ya ba was inching its way back.
The Office of the Narcotics Control Board's Region 5 sent in its staff to try to solve the problem.
"Teenagers are most at risk. But they are also interested in sports, so we support them to play sports. Many also want to learn the Korean language, so we arrange for teachers to teach them in a three-month course," said Samroeng Phumkhokrat, an analyst on planning and policy from the ONCB's Region 5.
"Many acquired Korean language skills and go to work in South Korea," he said.
Early this month, six teenagers, who have quit drug abuse, travelled to South Korea. They now work at a steel melting plant there, Mr Samroeng said.
He said working abroad provides them with a change of environment, physically removing them from the lure of drug use, he said.
Thirayuth Onsri, 65, said that his 24-year-old son learned Korean and has worked at a steel casting plant in Seoul for two years now. His son sends between 20,000-30,000 baht back home every month, he said.
He misses his son, but it is better for him to stay abroad, he said.
"In the past, I could not sleep because he went out with his friends and took drugs. I had to go out searching for him every night. But now I am happy and sleeping well," Mr Thirayuth said.