Needle-ss to say: Thai teachers suspended for piercing students’ mouths
The director of a primary school in the Samut Prakarn province near Bangkok temporarily suspended two Thai teachers from duties after they punished 36 Grade 2 students by piercing their mouths with needles.
A 30 year old woman, Am, filed a complaint against two female teachers at Samrongnuea Police Station on the evening of January 25 after hearing about the sadistic punishment from her seven year old nephew named Beam. Beam told Am that the teachers punished him and his friends by stabbing them with a needle.
Am expressed her shock and queried Beam about the rationale behind the punishment. Beam said that the teachers discovered some chewed bubble gum on the classroom floor during the morning of January 25 and looked to identify the culprit, yet no one confessed to the deed.
Subsequently, the teachers instructed each student to form a line and confess that they were not responsible for the gum on the floor. Then, they proceeded to inspect each student’s mouth individually with a needle.
Am also relayed the incident to the group using the LINE application, which parents and guardians used to stay informed about school news and updates. Subsequently, each guardian interrogated their child about the matter, confirming that all 36 students in the class had been subjected to the punishment.
Apart from the wounds in their mouths, the parents were also worried about contagious diseases because the needle used for the punishment was the same.
Am said she called the students, but the school director, Apicha Pennoi, asked her to wait three days for the case to be investigated.
Apicha later gave an interview with Matichon today, January 26, saying he found two teachers involved in the incident. The teachers were reportedly identified as 50 year old Watchareeya “Pook” Chartharakul and 27 year old Thanyaphat “Jah” Rattanapeerawit.
The teachers allegedly admitted to piercing the students’ mouths. Apicha stated that the two teachers were suspended from their duties during the investigation, and the maximum penalty would be dismissal.
Every student would undergo a health check due to the risk of contagious diseases. The Office of the Basic Education Commission would also compensate each student and cover all medical expenses.
