Tai Nation - a place where Tai people and friends of Tai work together for human rights and freedom - Articles -

Wanted for Opposing the Junta

no@spam.com (Antonio Graceffo) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:30:00 UTC

A friend who engages in cross-border aid activities in the genocide afflicted war-zone of Burma sent me this link, which, in Burmese, is the equivalent of an old wild-west wanted poster, with my photo on it. At a glance, the link appears to be a website of the KNU/KNLA, the ethnic Karen resistance group, featured in the film, “Rambo IV.” The site implies that I am wanted by the rebels, which makes no sense, since the only crime I have committed, if in fact it is a crime, is supporting the rebels.

The Plight of the Shan People of Burma

no@spam.com (Antonio Graceffo) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 09:30:00 UTC

Genocide, Torture, and Ignorance: The Shan are dying and the world takes no notice. “When I fled my village in Burma I had to leave my baby behind. She was too small to survive the jungle.” says Nang Ga a 25 year old Shan tribe’s woman. She hid in the jungle after the State Peace and Development Council, (SPDC) soldiers of the Burmese army demanded that one member from every family be forced to work as porters or be killed.

Shan Lai Tai Kung Fu (Part 3)

no@spam.com (Antonio Graceffo) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:30:00 UTC

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5pNFM40bxZs

This is the next in a series of 'Martial Arts Odyssey' episodes shot inside of Burma, at Loi Tailang, the headquarters of the Shan State Army. While the army fights to help the Shan people survive and gain independence, Master Kawn Wan struggles to keep his people's martial art alive, and to teach it to the young. See the refugees: orphans, soldiers, and teachers who practice Lai Tai, the Shan art of Kung Fu, so that their cultural heritage will survive.

The video features an in depth interview with young kawn Wan, as he explains his theories of martial arts and of cultural survival.

The Burmese government, the SPDC, killed his family and burned his village, but they couldn't break his spirit. Kawn Wan wages his private war for the benefit of his people.

Enjoy the video, for free, on youtube http://youtube.com/watch?v=5pNFM40bxZs

Please, say a prayer for the people of Shanland and all of Burma.

Be the Hero of Your Life Story

no@spam.com (Antonio Graceffo) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 09:00:00 UTC

“The key to immortality is first living a life worth remembering.” This quote has been attributed to everyone from St. Augustus to Bruce Lee. I don't know who actually said it, but it rings with a powerful truth. At cocktail parties, when people find out that I am a published author, they often say to me, “I also want to be a writer, but I don't know what to write about.”

New Burma Video: Interview with Antonio Graceffo on Taipei Radio

no@spam.com (Antonio Graceffo) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 08:00:00 UTC

http://tw.youtube.com/watch?v=OqcO16az6R8

For the last seven years Antonio has been working as an adventure and martial arts author in Asia. in 2007 and 2008 he went into Burma with the Shan State Army. This radio interview on English Radio, Taipei, takes place while he is attending emergency medic training in the Philippine.
This video was produced by Andy To.

Enjoy the video. And please, say a prayer for the people of Shanland.

Kung Fu Panda and The Brooklyn Monk

no@spam.com (Antonio Graceffo) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:30:00 UTC

“Your training is a lonely war.” When you train, you battle yourself. You wrestle your internal demons forcing your mind and body to bend. We all know the story of the sculpture who was asked how he carved such a perfect warrior from stone. He answered, “The warrior as already there, I just removed the excess stone.”

Nursing the Shan

no@spam.com (Antonio Graceffo) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:30:00 UTC

On a bamboo bed in a dark clinic at Loi Tailang, a woman sits with her three children. One has a severe foot burn, which is all infected and ugly looking. It is very common for children in the rural villages to be burned when cooking pots overturn on the fire at the centre of their hut. At the Loi Tailang temple there is a young monk who was horribly disfigured by similar burns which cover his face and head. A health worker explained to me that in the villages burns are often treated with a poultice of cow dung or with oil, both of which worsen the effects of the injuries.

EMS Duty in Tondo

no@spam.com (Antonio Graceffo) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:30:00 UTC

“How do you shower on a twenty-four hour shift?” I asked, noticing that there was no plumbing in the radio shack, where I was told we would be sleeping. “We can use the hose from the firetruck. Answered the chief.” Suddenly, I wasn't sure if EMS was really the best career for me.

A Day in Loi Tailang

no@spam.com (Antonio Graceffo) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 08:00:00 UTC

All over the village boys are fashioning bows from natural materials, preparing to compete in the big archery contest. Small children kick a Tagrow ball, a small hollow ball made of rattan. I pull out my camera, but the mothers quickly tell the children to hide their faces. Photographing people who are planning to live permanently at Loi Tailang is OK. But photographing civilians who plan to return to Burma is a No-no. If the photos get into the wrong hands, THEY, the SPDC, could find out that they have ties with the Shan State Army, and kill them.

In Shanland: Tragedy to Triumph

no@spam.com (Antonio Graceffo) — Thu, 29 May 2008 09:30:00 UTC

See it on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eL7B4OlPog

Leun Liang saw his family murdered and his village burned. He has every right to complain about his life. Instead, he reinvented himself, transitioning from victim to teacher. Now, he lives at Loi Tailang, teaching and taking care of the young orphans.

Hear him tell his own story of repression and suffering at the hands of the SPDC, the junta that rules Burma.