Child monks take part in violent 'Fight Club-style' boxing matches while adults stand by and 'referee'

[webfact]

Child monks take part in violent 'Fight Club-style' boxing matches while adults stand by and 'referee'

BY NICK YORK

 

Image: screenshot

 

The children are training for Buddhist roles and encouraged to punch each other in the head during the brutal fights while older monks stand and laugh

 

UDON THANI: -- Shocking footage has emerged of child monks punching each other in the head a bare-knuckle fight club style boxing match.

 

A clip shot in the grounds of a temple shows the children - training for Buddhist roles - in red robes and shaven heads repeatedly hit and kick each other.

 

A group of older monks stand around laughing with one of them 'refereeing' the fight by holding pulling them apart then letting them loose on each other.

 

Full story: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/child-monks-take-part-violent-9510514

 

-- Mirror 2016-12-26

 

 

[canuckamuck]

Just practising the four noble truths. Well four knuckles and a boot to the head.

[Bluespunk]

Don't know which journo at the Mirror wrote this story, but I do know that whoever it was has never seen or read Fight Club...m

 

Mind, as a Mirror journalist I doubt they read much beyond the Beano. 

[Just1Voice]

Shaolin training, Thai style? 

 

[trogers]

1 minute ago, Just1Voice said:

Shaolin training, Thai style? 

 

 

Nope! Shaolin first train discipline and endurance, before fighting...

 

Here, it's just violence...

[JAG]

It has to be true - it's in The Mirror!

The Mirror does seem to have a bit of a "downer" on Thailand at the moment. I wonder if they have a journalist here, or are they obtaining their "news" from Umh, "other sources"?

[Docno]

My gf is saying that the people in the video are speaking neither Thai nor Isaan. Anyone else here can make it out? 

[Borzandy]

" while adults stand by and 'referee" Thais are not adult before 40yo.

[jlwilliamsjr18]

This is not Thailand...It's Burma..... Fake News!

[Boycie]

Quote from the Youtube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bW1fT6X7z_g

 

Khun Kampon shot the footage in Udon Thani, northern Thailand.He said: "They're starting fight club when they're young. It's a good way to make them tough."

[licka]

28 minutes ago, Borzandy said:

" while adults stand by and 'referee" Thais are not adult before 40yo.

Are you sure?

That seems rather young for most Thais to mature to adults  

[Raymonddiaz]

My former school used to organize boxing match between students during sports days. ( M 1 students 12 years old). I was disgusted . Nothing new in the land of smiles.

[TheFishman1]

TIT

[George Graham]

1 hour ago, JAG said:

It has to be true - it's in The Mirror!

The Mirror does seem to have a bit of a "downer" on Thailand at the moment. I wonder if they have a journalist here, or are they obtaining their "news" from Umh, "other sources"?

It has to be true I can see it on the video.

[Myran]

30 minutes ago, George Graham said:

It has to be true I can see it on the video.

Right, because the fact that they're not speaking Thai in the video doesn't cause any alarm bells to ring.

[hotchilli]

Unfortunately the actions of some minorities has an overall impact on the image of Buddhism in Thailand...
While the majority try to behave in a true manner others drag the name & culture down to the lowest of levels.
I used to donate to a couple of local temples, but since I have witnessed some of the resident monks walking around in sun glasses, chatting on their mobile phones while smoking I have decided to stop.

[Monkeyrobot]

There not Thai, sounds like Chinese the way there screaming. 

[hookedondhamma]

To  Post #16

 

Buddhism thrives when the community adapts to it, not when the community makes it adapt to the community.

 

Smoking monks are very, very normal - you'll rarely find a monk who doesn't smoke. 

 

You're aware of how people believe they make merit here, and the funds go up if they gain royal titles.  

 

I completely understand why you've stopped donating. If others did the same maybe they'd begin to question if there's something wrong to what they do ... but I highly doubt that will ever happen.

[Mook23]

they don't speak thai nor lao NOR burmese (nor kachin no chin) as far as i can tell. it could be [a] karen [language] or mon or shan laguage, the latter related to thai. lethwei is traditionally fought without gloves.

[canuckamuck]

My wife said it's Burmese, she sounded fairly confident. It's not Karen, that's what she is.

[Briggsy]

I think you will find this was filmed in Greenock. They are speaking the local dialect.

[Rhys]

sad

[jonnyscot]

My gf is saying that the people in the video are speaking neither Thai nor Isaan. Anyone else here can make it out? 

Yes I replied to the dialect they were using in the articles comments section, think it is Burmese certainly not Thai,,


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[dcnx]

12 hours ago, Myran said:

Right, because the fact that they're not speaking Thai in the video doesn't cause any alarm bells to ring.

 

The entire crew who takes care of our grounds speaks a language I don't understand. I'm guessing they are Burmese or from somewhere deep in the mountains. 

 

It's very possible these kids come from elsewhere, or have even been trafficked, as many children are. Anything is possible here, including the adult monks using the boys for sexual pleasure. It wouldn't be the first time Thai monks have been caught with little boys.

[dunroaming]

For me this falls into the same camp as the little girl beauty pageants in the USA.  Exploitation for the pleasure of adults whilst screwing up the kids at an early stage.

[nausea]

So the Shao-lin have some competition then, just hope it's a veggy diet.

[jonnyscot]

Jeez, what's wrong with everyone here,, it doesn't look as though there was much if any martial arts skill involved in this fight , wasn't anyone involved in playground fights just like this in the primary school in their home country in their younger years?, to me the clip falls into the "politically correct" category and the editor of the story has found the correct audience to draw shock and horror from,,


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[dieseldave1951]

On 26/12/2016 at 7:30 AM, Bluespunk said:

Don't know which journo at the Mirror wrote this story, but I do know that whoever it was has never seen or read Fight Club...m

 

Mind, as a Mirror journalist I doubt they read much beyond the Beano. 

these are kids you, ????? so you obviously agree with this type of behaviour and all in the name of buddhism

never mind the journalist  the video speaks for its self (W----R)

[Bluespunk]

32 minutes ago, dieseldave1951 said:

these are kids you, ????? so you obviously agree with this type of behaviour and all in the name of buddhism

never mind the journalist  the video speaks for its self (W----R)

Oh dear, having trouble comprehending this morning are we?

 

Never said I agreed with what is happening in the video.  

 

However yes I watched it and it is nothing like fight club. 

 

Nothing at all. 

 

I dislike the hyperbole gutter press journalists use and that was the point of my post. 

 

OK!

[hookedondhamma]

Anytime deep red robes are seen,  there's a very big chance they're Burmese, Shan sometimes, or some thai monks in northern Thailand. 

 

Bright, vibrant robes are usually worn in Thailand by the Mon groups in the north of Thailand as well.

 

You hear 'ochre' robes thrown out in alot of Thai Visa articles but  in Thailand, the majority wear from a neon orange to dark brown. 

 

I've lived with Mon people, and couldn't make out what the novices were saying; it's probably Burmese, like a couple of other posters wrote.