“Before I was just a soldier of Thailand. Now I am a soldier of all the world’s people. Now, I fight against lies, theft,hate and violence.”   Abbot Phra Khru Ba

Set high among the limestone crags and bamboo thickets of Thailand’s northern border with Burma, a Buddhist monk is waging a unique battle to save the children here from the curse of drugs and corruption.

Thailand has among the highest level of drug abuse in the world, and for years the ‘Golden Triangle’ has been a world centre for the supply of opium and high-grade heroin. This border region between Myanmar, Thailand and Laos is one of the most dangerous and inhospitable regions in the world.  The activities of the drug lords, combined with the effects of government anti-drug campaigns, have left hundreds dead in the region and thousands of children homeless, abandoned to their fate.

Yet in this brutal world lies an oasis of peace, the monastery of The Golden Horse, home to Phra Khru Ba or ‘The Tiger Monk’ as he is better known. Once a soldier and champion Thai boxer, Phra Khru Ba now devotes his life to the teachings of the Buddha.   Armed only with his deep-rooted faith and skills as a master Thai boxer, this fearless monk now rescues abandoned children and brings new hope to the surrounding hill tribe villages. Poisoned, bombed and attacked numerous times by drug lords he opposes, Phra Khru Ba has spent 12 years slowly building up the trust and respect of the surrounding communities.

Travelling on horseback, he goes where the military cannot tread, and is welcomed where others are driven back. His relentless efforts to motivate farmers to grow vegetables instead of the notorious opium poppy have hindered activities of drug lords and local gangs, resulting in various attempts on his life

There are some 33,000 Buddhist temples in Thailand but none like the monastery of the Golden Horse.  Looking more like a ranch than a typical Thai temple, the monastery resounds with the neighing of some 60 horses and the cries and pounding drumbeats accompanying training sessions of Muay Thai.

Here ‘father’ Khru Ba cares for his young charges together with ‘mother’ Mae Ead, a dynamic Buddhist nun who helps maintain the organic atmosphere of ‘Buddhist-style disciplined love’ that pervades the monastery.  Many of the children here are orphans or have been abandoned to their fate by parents who are either heavily addicted or imprisoned.

As part of their daily activities — the novices rise at 04:00 AM and meditate until dawn — the boys are also given special responsibility of caring for the horses, each being assigned one to feed, groom and ride. This brings a sense of duty and pride, and the bond developed between child and animal only enhances the atmosphere of love, awareness and self-respect.

Buddha’s Lost Children is a factual account of the boys’ salvation, their character transformation and eventual reintegration back into village life. The documentary’s narrative unfolds through the eyes of these young novices, revealing their past stories of grief and despair in contrast to the respect, love and hope they discover at the monastery of the Golden Horse.

Through the boys’ personal stories, the intriguing and controversial character of Abbot Pra Khru Ba is explored. His personal cult status within the local community explains only some of his success. Guided by the teachings of the Buddha, the mysterious abbot reveals his soul-searching journey for truth. Undeterred by the corruption, violence and poverty that still threaten the youth of the hill tribes, Phra Khru Ba continues to dedicate his life and work to helping the less fortunate.

Some criticize him for teaching Thai Boxing in a monastery, but Phra Khru Ba has this to say:   “I have no weapons, and I come in peace, but this gives the children a skill and builds their self esteem and provides them with a sense of security”.

Shot on HDTV, this poignant and controversial story is set against the dramatic mountainous backdrop of Thailand’s northern province of Chiang Rai, at the heart of the Golden Triangle.

With the war against drugs escalating in both Asia and South America, and the continued flood of cheap heroin into the West, this major documentary provides a compelling look at life behind the battle lines.

View a 5 min. introduction to the film and EMS Films’ showreel.

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