Thailand News Today | Live from Thammasat, Sacked teacher sues parents, Pattaya eating contest | October 5, 2020

Today’s Thailand News Today was recorded live at the Thammasat University Tha Prachan Campus.

Sarasas teacher, who allegedly abused students, files complaint against student’s parents for assault

After being fired and charged with assault, a Nonthaburi teacher has now filed a police complaint against a student’s parents for allegedly assaulting her.

The teacher, Onuma Ploadprong at the Sarasas Witaed Ratchaphruek School, says the parents assaulted her after they saw classroom surveillance camera footage of her allegedly pushing and hitting kindergarten students.

The teacher is represented by the same lawyer who is representing the Sarasas private school in Nonthaburi, a suburb north of Bangkok. Complaints of teachers allegedly abusing and mistreating students were filed after surveillance footage of the Sarasas classrooms were shared with parents and on social media.

After videos from Onuma’s classroom were shared online, the Office of the Private Education Commission set up a committee to investigate all of the 42 Sarasas private schools around Thailand.

Students at northeastern university accuse police of disrupting rally, harassment

Students at Maha Sarakham University, in the north-east of the country, are accusing the police of harassing them and attempting to disrupt a planned rally.

The leader of a pro-democracy student group has pointed out plain-clothes and uniformed officers who arrived at the university to carry out a search, and to remind organisers of the laws governing public gatherings.

Police allegedly removed copies of a red book which contained the students’ now infamous 10-point manifesto. They have also taken poetry collections written by students in the Free People Movement.

Boxes of these same books were confiscated by police on the morning of the September 19 rally. Some 45,000 books were seized from a house in an estate near the university’s Rangsit campus.

This time, the pro-democracy activists accuse the police of attempting to block access to the university’s sports ground, where the rally was being held.

Poll shows many Thais don’t support the student protests

Meanwhile, a poll carried out by The Super Poll Research Centre reveals that most of those surveyed disagree with how anti-government protests are being carried out.

1,200 participants were surveyed on what constitutes unacceptable behaviour. Over 97% say the students were inciting others (I suspect that’s the idea of the protests), over 96% mentioned the abuse of institutions, over 94% said the students were slandering others and over 93% mentioned the use of impolite words. Only 2.6% of those surveyed say the protesters’ actions were acceptable.

Pattaya to host eating contest next weekend, everyone welcome

Pattaya will host a big eating contest next weekend with everyone welcome to join in the fun. Sounds like some great fun but the organisers have been flooded with complaints.

The event will be held at the Royal Garden Plaza shopping centre with prizes valued at more than 100,000 baht. Even organisers say they expect up to 40 teams to register for the contest on October 10 and 11.

Organisers say the contest is open to all ages, sex and nationalities although minors will need to sign a waiver. There is a 700 baht registration fee which varies depending on the event. Our post about the contest on the Thaiger has drawn almost universal condemnation from readers, most saying that the competition is inappropriate given the dire situation for many Thais at this time.

Mother and daughter forced to sell home due to neighbour who won’t stop singing

A mother and daughter in the central province of Nonthaburi are being forced to sell their home in an attempt to get away from their neighbour’s constant singing.

50 year old Somthop, and her 25 year old daughter, Kanchana, are now advertising the fact that the property comes with a free singer.

Their neighbour, 41 year old Saksit, runs a food business from his home, but when he has no customers, he likes to sing and play his guitar. The neighbours have been fighting for a year, and even the police haven’t been able to resolve the situation.

“The house comes with a free singer with the ability to play the guitar non-stop, no one can sleep.”