The Last Muay Thai Monk — Prah Kruh Bah, The Golden Horse Monastert Wat Acha Tong

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In 2003, Antonio Graceffo went to Thailand to find a Buddhist monk, named Prah Kruh Ba, a former professional Muay Thai fighter, who lives in a jungle monastery on the Burmese border, where he takes in tribal kids, orphaned by the war in Burma.

Antonio Graceffo with Prah Kruh Ba

Antonio cut the Kruh Bah story out of a Taiwanese newspaper, flew to Thailand and walked around the border town of Maesai, showing people the photo, until he eventually wound up in the monastery. Within minutes of arriving, Kruh Bah had Antonio fighting in a ring.

Antonio Graceffo

During the three months that Antonio lived in the monastery he learned Thai language and Muay Thai (Thai kick boxing). Most importantly, he learned about Kruh Bah’s work along the border, helping tribal people, subjected to genocide by the Burmese government. Among the friends he made in the monastery were members of many of the ethnic minorities: Akha, Lihsu, Lahu, and Shan.

Daischo Knock Out

The story of the Shan people and their struggle for survival would touch Antonio so deeply that he would eventually go on to work with the Shan State Army inside of Burma. But that is another story.

begging

See part one of the Kru Bah story on YouTube.

https://www..youtube.com/watch?v=QPYj-YoQxXU

Antonio Graceffo is the author of four books. He is also the host of the web TV show, “Martial Arts Odyssey.” To see Antonio Graceffo’s Burma and martial arts videos, click here. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=antonio+graceffo+shan+state+army

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Article written by Antonio Graceffo

Antonio Graceffo PhD China-MBA, works as an economics researcher and university professor in China. He holds a PhD from Shanghai University of Sport Wushu Department where he wrote his dissertation “A Cross Cultural Comparison of Chinese and Western Wrestling” in Chinese. He is the author of 8 books, including Warrior Odyssey and The Monk from Brooklyn. His regular column, Destinations, has been running in Black Belt Magazine since 2009. He has fought professionally as a boxer and MMA fighter as well as fighting as an amateur in boxing, sanda, and wrestling. Having spent over 15 years studying martial arts in Asia, he holds black belts in Cambodian Bokator, Filipino Kuntaw and Cambodian traditional kick boxing. In Malaysia, he was the first non-Malay to be awarded the title of Pahlawan Kalam (warrior of Silat Kalam). Currently, he is pursuing a second PhD in economics at Shanghai University, specializing in US-China Trade, China’s Belt and Road Initiative, and Trump-China economics. His China economic reports are featured regularly in The Foreign Policy Journal and published in Chinese at The Shanghai Institute of American Studies, a Chinese government think tank.