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Golden Horse Monastery, Thailand - In a battle to end drug abuse in Thailand, Buddhist monks have resorted to Chuck Norris style beatings.Rural men and boys, starting from the age of seven, have joined the Golden Horse Monastery in an effort to alleviate the problems of drug abuse in"The Golden Triangle," the border of Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar. This area is known for the trade of such drugs as opium, heroin, and methamphetamines.

Abbot Kru Ba, an ex-soldier and Thai-boxing champion, is a teacher of martial arts to a small group of very disciplined young men. The monastery awakens at one o'clock in the morning with meditation until dawn. Following the rising of the sun, the pupils spend their time sparring, learning religious teachings, and cleaning their monastery. Kru Ba spends about half of his morning on trails in the Thai province of Chang Rai. These monks work with Thailand's Third Army in an effort to end the drug addiction and trade in their country.

The Golden Horse Monastery also helps addicts who are in need of a better path. Such was the case with the 31 year old Manop Indhamot. Unlike their counterparts in other Asian countries, these monks are unable to float in the air, and they spend very little time in search of an old sword a la the Hollywood blockbuster, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Fortunately, attacks from Mothra, Godzilla's nemesis, have screeched to a near halt in recent months, and, thus, the need to fight in super-fast motion has eased.

The Golden Horse Monastery, one of 33,000 Thai monasteries, is a very unique holy place. Kru Ba and his peers juxtapose their lives with the lives of most Buddhist monks. Their highly physical education is a sharp division from the normal life of strict meditation of most monks. In fact, many religious Buddhists would say that Kru Ba spent too much time in the '80's playing with Chuck Norris' Karate Commandos action figures; however, the monastery has been applauded by the Buddhist Supreme Patriarch of Thailand due to the monks' valor in their crusade against the evils of drug abuse.