Bamboo Battleground

by Don Bendell

  The kick went in perfectly under the chin, and one bone cracked in his neck as the kick struck hard right on the point of the Adam’s apple. Already shot in the torso, the man panicked, trying to breathe or even swallow. He looked down and saw frothy red bubbles coming out of one of the holes in his chest, then he looked at Bobby. Then he thought back to his childhood and how much he wanted to grow up in a Muay Thai camp and become a national hero, retiring before he hit thirty.

  Bobby felt his pulse, while pointing his gun back at the other, but it was obvious that was not needed as the moped sent him back into a palm tree in a sitting position. Bo appeared from the beach, her hair and body totally wet from following directions. Seeing he cleared the bodies, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

  “Thank God, you’re safe,” she said.

  Bobby gave her a quick kiss and said, “Let’s check their pockets and get out of here. Cops in Koh Samui do not care about foreigners and won’t get involved, but these two are not foreigners.

  Three minutes later, carrying the IDs of the two men, Bobby and Bo rode back toward the resort on the mopeds, picking up Bo’s blouse and shoulder holster first. They dumped the motor scooters in a side alley near the beach. The two cops held hands and walked to the hotel like two tourists enjoying the sights.

  Bobby said, “Hand me your gun carefully.”

  He started coughing and stopped and bent over, and she handed him her gun as he bent over and patted his back with her other hand. Quickly, he ejected her almost-empty magazine, slipped in another, and closed the receiver. Acting like his coughing spasm ended he slipped it back into her holster, as if they were hugging.

  Bobby said, “I used up most of your rounds in that mag, and I feel like we better be ready every second. Obviously someone knows we are here.”

  Muhammad Yahyaa was boarding Bangkok Airways flight 503 to Singapore at about 4:20 p.m. when he got the news sent to him that two men had failed and were found dead along the beach. It sent a chill down his spine. From Singapore, he would catch the next flight to Manila. Safe there, he would rendezvous as planned with the others and finalize plans for Akrahuka, Amerikka! Three of his closest bodyguards, all Arabs, flew with him. They would be met in Manila, and the three would be given weapons right away.

  Bobby and Bo took turns showering in their room. Then he opened the false bottom on their suitcases and got out the rest of their weaponry. They got dressed up and Bo wore a long flowery sarong with a slit up one leg. Her Glock 19, a smaller version of the 17, was in a holster on the inside of her thigh. She also wore a long silky matching jacket and had a pair of Glock 17s in twin shoulder holsters under the jacket.

  Bobby wore a cream-colored silky pullover shirt and tan slacks, and under the shirt, under his left arm, in a specially made leather quick-slip holster, Bobby carried a Heckler and Koch MP5 machine pistol.

  Officially, the spec ops popular H&K MP5 is described historically:

  The MP5 was first introduced by Heckler & Koch in 1966, under the name HK54. This name comes from HK’s old numbering system: The “5” designates the model as a submachine gun, while the “4” identifies it as being chambered for 9 × 19 mm ammunition. The current name dates from when it was officially adopted by the West German government for use by its police and border guard as the Maschinenpistole 5 (“Machine pistol 5,” or MP5), in mid-1966. The GSG 9 (the counter-terrorist unit of the German Federal Police) then introduced the MP5 to other Western counter-terrorist units.

  With the increased use of body armor, the future of the MP5 is uncertain. Several new trends in firearms design have begun to eclipse the submachine gun; small caliber personal defense weapons (PDW) like the new Heckler & Koch MP7 and compact carbines such as the M4, AKS-74U, the G36C variant of HK’s G36. The only major criticism of the MP5 has been its high cost— approximately US $900 for an MP5N (the United States Navy variant). Heckler & Koch has started to complement the MP5 series with the cheaper UMP, which is available in .45 ACP, .40 S&W and 9 mm Parabellum calibers. However, since the UMP uses a simple blowback action as opposed to the MP5’s roller-delayed blowback, the two weapons may not necessarily be competitors among the most discriminating users. In addition, the lighter weight of the UMP makes it more difficult to control during fully automatic fire than the MP5.

  One famous counter-terrorist operation involving the MP5 was Operation Nimrod. It took place on April 30, 1980, in the United Kingdom, when the Special Air Service (SAS), armed with MP5s, was deployed to assault the terrorists who had taken over the Iranian embassy in London.

  The MP5’s accuracy, reliability, and wide range of accessories and variations have made it the submachine gun of choice for military and law enforcement agencies worldwide for over thirty years. Users include counter-terrorist groups, special operations forces and police forces.

  The weapon is one that has been used in modified versions officially by the FBI and U.S. Navy SEALs and is a very popular weapon among the United States military elite spec ops units such as Special Forces, Combat Applications Group, and so on. Bobby could also hide it well under his shirt.

  For backup, he also carried his Glock 17 tucked into the small of his back in his belt line. Bobby also had magazines for both the MP5 and Glock 17 tucked into the small of his back and into his hip pockets.

  In Thailand, including Koh Samui, organized crime is very much a part of society, and most especially centering around Muay Thai. Thai kickboxing is the national sport in Thailand and is the individually toughest sport in the world. Millions of dollars are gambled each day in Thailand over matches.

  The Thai “mafia” as Americans sometimes call it deals almost exclusively with the matches going on all the time. They are very careful about things like “hits,” which are usually related to cheating at gambling or welching on gambling debts. If a man is going to be hit, he is shot almost always at close range, and they are extremely careful not to involve family members or innocent bystanders. In such cases, it is not only not investigated but many times the police are deeply or even directly involved as well. Most hits occur in streets, alleys, or when a person is seated in their car, but seldom are they carried out in public places like restaurants, because of the care taken not to kill innocent bystanders.

  For this reason, Bobby, while ordering dinner, told Bo, they should not be concerned about being shot while eating dinner or dancing or any similar activity. Their biggest concerns would be going to and from their Jeep and getting isolated anywhere on the island.

  An attempt had been made on their lives when they had barely been on the island for any time at all, so Bobby knew more was coming, and they would have to work fast.

  He discussed all these things with Bo while they ate, and she said, “But these guys are Alpha-Quebecs not Thai mafia, so why does that affect us?” Alpha-Quebec was code for al Qaeda.

  “Good question, honey,” Bobby replied. “Because the Thai mafia being businessmen and greedy above all else may put up with certain things for the sake of not making waves and just making money, but if the al Qaeda comes in and tries some of their terrorism tactics in the towns big enough for Muay Thai stadiums, they may be opening a can of ‘whup-ass’ on themselves. You know, when in Rome.”

  Bo said, “That makes sense. So what are we going to do after we eat?”

  The lieutenant colonel chuckled, saying, “First, try to make it to our car without being assassinated.”

  Bo started laughing.

  “What then?” she asked.

  Bobby smiled and said, “Have you ever seen a Muay Thai match?”

  “No,” she responded.

  After dinner, the two carefully went to the vehicle and left there without incident.

  Although Thai boxing is regarded as the world’s most dangerous martial art it is surprisingly aesthetic and graceful to watch. Chaweng Stadium near the Reggae Pub is the biggest on Samui Island and is also the only commercial stadium on the island. It hosts all the major fights on the i
sland twice a week on Tuesday and Friday nights—although when the real season hits, they also hold fights on Sundays as well. Fights begin usually about 9 p.m. and there are usually about eight matches, but sometimes even as many as ten smaller matches, before the main fight.

  Some serious Muay Thai aficionados just show up for the main event around 10 p.m. The atmosphere in Chaweng Stadium is outstanding. There is a live commentator. Traditional Thai music is constantly playing and the stadium, like all Muay Thai stadiums, becomes quite boisterous, with gamblers everywhere making wagers while fights are going on, after, and in between. Both Thai fighters and foreign fighters compete in the ring, and almost all of them are professionals.

  Bobby and Bo parked and entered Chaweng Stadium thinking they might be followed. Bobby paid for a ringside table. Bo knew better than to ask why they were there. Bobby never did something for no reason. She had been in very few bars, or other places, that had ever been as loud and electrically charged with excitement.

  It really is not very surprising that a boy as young as seven or eight would start training and actually living at primitive Muay Thai stables all across the country.

  Muay Thai is fought in five three-minute rounds with two-minute breaks in between. The fight is preceded by a Wai Khru dance, in which each contestant pays homage to his teachers. Besides the symbolic meaning, the dance is a good warm-up exercise. Bo noticed that each boxer wore a headband and armbands. The headband, called mongkhol, is believed to bring luck to the wearer since it has been blessed by a monk or the boxer’s own teacher. The headband is both a lucky charm and a Buddhist spiritual object. It will be removed after the Wai Khru dance, but it can only be removed by that boxer’s trainer. Bo noticed fighters waiting in the wings and saw the colorful armbands tightly tied over each bicep muscle. Those armbands, meanwhile, are believed to offer protection, are also religious in nature, and are only removed when the fight has ended.

  The Wai Khru, which is also known as Ram Muay, or the boxing dance, is a very important part of any evening watching Muay Thai and most foreigners like Bo did not really understand the import to the whole match. These are ceremonies that are performed before each Muay Thai bout. Sometimes the Wai Khru are brief and basic, but other times they may be very eloquent performances that draw praise and kudos from the crowd. Muay Thai instructors are very highly respected in Thai society, and many other artistic disciplines also perform Wai Khru or “respects to the teacher.”

  Bo watched the fighters in the first match and was fascinated with the almost kung-fu-looking fluidic movements of the Wai Khru, where they kind of danced with slow, rhythmic techniques, ranging from ones where one leg is up and the other is behind it, knee on the ring floor, but the foot behind it is raised off the ring floor and goes up and down in sync with the music, while the arms are spread out almost in a breaststroke or flying motion. It was fascinating to her.

  A match is decided by a knockout or by points. Three judges decide who carries the round and the one who wins the most rounds, wins the fight. The referee plays a very important role, since boxers’ safety depends on his decision. As brutal as the sport is, Muay Thai referees—the good ones—will often catch a fighter’s head before it hits the canvas when there is a knockout.

  To one side of the ring is the band section, with a clarinet, some drums, and cymbals. They accompany the fight from the Wai Khru dance to the end of the match. The tempo of the music goes up every time the action inside the ring intensifies, and Bo finally noticed that the influence of the sound of the music would make her get even more excited.

  Muay Thai is what the Thai people call “their own martial art.” It has been Thailand’s most popular spectator sport for centuries and is very unique among other kinds of fighting disciplines in its approach. Fighters are able to more effectively use their elbows, knees, feet, and fists than in other martial arts. They also are not broken up when clinching, as they do what is called neck wrestling, hoping to maneuver their arms into a better controlling position, so they can deliver knee strikes to the sides of the ribs or maybe straight up to the face. Sometimes, when completing neck wrestling and breaking away, a fighter might sneak in a vicious elbow strike into the face. They also will use neck wrestling leverage to try to twist and throw the opponent to the floor of the ring. This adds points and can cause aches and pains.

  Much of Muay Thai is kicking to the upper and lower legs. Instead of the feet, the shins are generally the weapons used to strike with and are thrown with the velocity intended to fracture an opponent’s leg bone or rib.

  Boxing gloves are worn on the hands and standard boxing techniques and combinations are usually employed, interspersed with the leg kicks and other Muay Thai techniques.

  By the third match, Bo noticed that neither fighter in any match really came on strong in the first round. She did not know, but Muay Thai trainers teach their students to feel out the other fighter the first round, and really start attacking in the second. Foreign fighters with very good boxing skills have had success against native Thai boxers, because most training is on leg kicks, neck wrestling, elbows, and knees.

  Kon Muay is the preliminary name for the movements by their use. For example, Kon Muay JuJom means an “attack,” whereas a defense or counter is called Kon Muay-Kae. Kon Muay-Kae using fists is called Kon Muay-Kae Mad. Kon Muay-Kae Tao means to defend or counter using the feet. To use the knees is called Kon Muay-Kae Kao.

  The Muay Thai boxing trunks were very colorful, and Bo was fascinated during a later match when an American fighter called Joshua the Avenger came out. His trunks were shiny blue with white lettering and had a pair of green eyes on the front. Besides “The Avenger,” the trunks on the side said “Joshua 1:5,” which was the Old Testament verse that reads: “No man shall be able to defeat you all the days of thy life: as I have been with Moses, so will I be with thee: I will not leave thee, nor forsake thee.”

  The young man had blond hair and very powdery blue eyes and was exceedingly handsome and all-American looking. He performed his Wai Khru dance like he had grown up in Thailand, but did not feel out his fighter in the first round. He went after the man with a quick shin kick to the back of the man’s thigh and then a series of eight boxing techniques in machine-gun fashion; the Thai fighter tried to cover up, and Joshua hit him with a vicious elbow smash, breaking the man’s nose and knocking him out cold in just over a half minute of round one.

  An American sat down by Bobby and Bo, looking at his watch, and said above the crowd noise, “The kid is amazing. That makes seven knockouts within forty seconds of round one. Listen to the crowd here—they love him, but he’s leaving.”

  Bobby asked, “Who are you?”

  The big ruddy-faced man said, “Your guardian angel,” and, looking at Bo, continued, “and yours, too, Major. Act like we are friends. We’re being watched.”

  Bobby pointed at the Avenger, actually helping medical officials carry the man out of the ring and place him on a gurney.

  He said, “The young man is amazing. Very well built, too. Why is he leaving?”

  The man said, “He has trained and fought in Thailand for two years now, the past six months in Koh Samui, and Bangkok before that. His older brother lived in Bangkok and fought there, too, but the guy went home, joined the service, and earned his Green Beret. Now this kid, Joshua, is leaving kickboxing and is going to do the same thing.”

  Bobby smiled and said, “Wow!”

  The man went on, “His dad was a Green Beret captain during the Vietnam War. Was in the top secret Phoenix Program and served on an A-Team in 1968-1969.”

  Bobby said, “A father and two sons earning their Green Berets. That is cool and very rare.”

  The man said, “You should know. I served with your dad in Forty-sixth Company up north of Bangkok.”

  Bobby nodded his head, saying to Bo, “A classified Special Forces unit that started here in Thailand during the Vietnam War. Welcome home, sir.”

  Bo said, “Thank you
for your service to our nation.”

  “You two are the ones needing thanks,” he said.

  Bobby asked, “So you are in the military?”

  The older man laughed. “Hell no! I’m a PFC.”

  Bobby laughed and Bo said, “A PFC?”

  “He is a private,” Bobby explained. “Well, a private civilian. Just let it go at that, honey.”

  The man laughed and said, “I got called right after you called the hostile incident report in to higher headquarters. I have been a civilian living around here for decades. I snoop around a bit, but I guess you could call me a consultant. The cops here will not help you at all. You are American. They will take the side of the Thais every time, by the way. My name is Boo.”

  Bo said, “Boo?”

  He said, “Yes, ma’am, like Casper the Ghost, you know, Boo.”

  Bobby got sad for a minute, and said, “Speaking of Boo, did you know Boom Kittenger?”

  Boo said, “I know all about Boom. I was there at the funeral in Colorado. I saw you both there in your dress blues. I know all about you.”

  Bobby said, “I don’t remember seeing you there, and I am a cop. I usually notice people.”

  Boo laughed, saying, “Son, I am a consultant and my job is to not be noticed. But during the ceremony, you walked over and got a small box of Kleenexes for Boom’s sister and oldest daughter, because they did not bring any, and those two sure did need them. Afterward, I thought it was kind how you went over and held her, Colonel.”

  “Geez,” Bobby said, “I did not mean I questioned you being there, but more that I was mad for not seeing you. What were you wearing?”

  Boo said, “A uniform.”