31-3-2024 (BANGKOK) Anong Sidaprom, a mother, took a stand on Saturday by lodging a formal complaint with Pattaya police against the owner of a “mu kratha” shop. She alleges that her son and daughter-in-law were subjected to corporal punishment for reporting late to work.
The incident prompted Anong, aged 37, to file a complaint at Pattaya Police Station on Saturday evening. The target of her grievance is the owner of Fah Sang South Pattaya, a Thai-style shabu hotpot shop.
According to Anong’s account, the shop owner, identified as Jeh Fah, purportedly administered 16 canings to her 18-year-old son, Patcharapol Sidaprom, and six canings to her daughter-in-law, Nattawat Komolwanit, aged 22.
Anong revealed that her son initially received 12 canings but voluntarily underwent six more to mitigate his wife’s punishment by half.
The revelation of these punishments surfaced after Anong stumbled upon a video clip depicting the caning on Facebook last Friday. She subsequently travelled to Udon Thani province to investigate the matter further, having seen the widely circulated clip earlier in the week.
Initially, Anong intended to resolve the matter amicably with the shop owner at the police station without resorting to legal action. However, upon the shop owner’s failure to appear, Anong opted to pursue charges against them, as narrated by her son and daughter-in-law.
The circulating video sparked outrage among Facebook users, condemning the shop owner’s actions as barbaric.
In an interview on Friday, the shop manager, Yuwadee Boonsarn, aged 33, disclosed that the caning punishment was agreed upon by the shop owner and the staff.
Yuwadee explained that previously, the shop deducted five baht for every minute of tardiness. However, after several staff members ended up with no earnings due to deductions, the shop owner proposed a two-week work suspension as an alternative penalty. The staff, in turn, proposed caning as they preferred to work for tips.
According to Yuwadee, tardiness by 10 minutes warranted one caning, with assurances from the staff that they would not harbour resentment.
Contrary to their earlier statements, Patcharapol and Nattawat retracted their previous sentiments upon filing the complaint at the police station on Saturday. They expressed discomfort with the caning and declared their intention not to return to work at the shop.
On the same day, the shop owner maintained that her staff had opted for the punishment method over suspension. She pledged to compensate the couple and institute deductions for future latecomers as a form of discipline.
