THE LOUKTHAMSUA CAMP
The camp LOUKTHAMSUA in Krabi
Special report by Serge TREFEU (2009)
This camp of the South of the Thailand is situated in the magnificent region of Krabi, in approximately 15 km of the sea resort of Ao Nang, renowned for its beautiful beaches.
The camp is in the back country which is also magnificent with its mountains limestone’s covered with luxuriant vegetations.
It is a road which leads to the famous Wat Tham Sua (Tiger Cave Temple).
The name of the camp “Loukthamsua” makes reference to this famous temple. This very known temple in the region is perched at the top of a mountain and to reach it is necessary to climb 1237 walking cut in the cliff, the real way of the Cross …
Today a tarred road was built so that tourists’ buses can come to visit this mystic place.
Ten years ago this road was a simple quite dented dirt track.
And Loukthamsua which exists for more than 20 years was in border of this road transformed into main road. Today the camp is always there…
In 1997 I was crossed to take some photos of this camp which did not practically change. In the time the boxers trained on the ground in red earth and there were just four hurdy-gurdies ropes tightened which acted as boxing ring.
Now there is a ground hard and a small boxing ring with a cover.
But the infrastructure is always so archaic and the boxers always so much “starved”…
This camp is considered as supplying for several years very technical fighters. Especially in stadium of Phucket and Koh Lanta where the warriors of the Loukthamsua often fight there.
To Krabi the Buddhists and the Muslims mix in perfect harmony.
In many camp of the South of the Thailand the boxers of Moslem and Buddhist religion often trains together.
But in this small camp all the boxers are Moslem as the majority of people who live in the village near the camp.
Most of the boxers are children, they are many to come to training here after the school.
The camp counts about twenty fighters among which about some of the high levels, what is for a so small camp a lot.
Mr Somat owner of the camp and the trainer main has moreover two of his sons who are redoubtable fighters.
Of the same family, they are three brothers to training here.
Most 23-year-old old man Anoupong Loukthamsua and fight often in Bangkok in particular in Lumpinee.
He already has made more than 30 fights in this stadium and counts more than 90 fights to his credit.
Then Anouchit Loukthamsua, 21 years, although younger is more experimented than his elder brother. He has already made 200 fights of which a good part in stadium of Lumpinee and Omnoï. He is Champion of the stadium of Phucket and the stadium of Koh Lanta.
The third brother is the youngest child of the trio who down from his nine years has already three fights in fists…
But the best of the camp is Thongthaa with more than 250 fights he gained a great fighter’s from big stadium of Bangkok, it is very known over there for its courage to the fight!
About ten boxers who often fight in stadium of the South of the country have between 16 and 20 years, most count about sixty fights each.
Here the training is hard as the conditions in which trains the boxers.
Both trainers who hold paos make undergo trying lessons to the young people nakmuay. Especially after noon or the sun warms the roof in sheet steel and transforms the camp into real oven.
Without air, without aeration, sometimes in the middle of the dust, the fighters train without complaining with the smile…
The morning jogging and after noon this fact on the road, Mr Somat mount his motorcycle and accompanies quite in daytime his about ten fighters.
He follows them in motorcycle to encourage them but especially watch that they make well their daily ten kilometres!
In this camp the work of the clinch is very extensive, sometimes after noon whole is dedicated only hard clinching sessions.
The children like particularly these practice sessions where the most technical are impose. They distrust and transform these small confrontations into sports games.
The curious onlookers often come to attend these childish jousts.
Certain curious motorists stop even on the low lane to observe the trainings…
This typical camp keeps are authentic atmosphere that many camps of the South lost especially to Phucket and Koh Samui.
The foreign boxers generally don’t know too much these small camps of country and rare are the ones who went there to train.
In Loukthamsua in 20 years only French and English came to train here…