PATTAYA, Thailand – A disturbing incident occurred at a temple in the Banglamung district, where a 14-year-old boy was allegedly assaulted by a monk and a vendor after being falsely accused of stealing items from the temple. The boy’s parents are now seeking justice by filing a police report against the monk and vendor for their actions, March 10.
On the evening of March 4, the boy’s parents, identified as Mr. Nont and Mrs. Nan, received an alarming phone call informing them that their son, known as “Boss,” had been accused of theft at the local temple. Mr. Nont rushed to the temple to check on his son, only to find him being verbally abused and physically attacked by the monk, identified as Phra Nikh, and a female vendor in her 50s, known as Aunt Khiewwan.
According to Mr. Nont, the monk and the vendor aggressively accused his son of stealing something, although they failed to specify what the alleged stolen items were. Despite the boy’s repeated denial, both Phra Nikh and Aunt Khiewwan continued to berate him. They allegedly slapped the boy multiple times in an attempt to force him to confess to the theft.
The boy, who had been staying at the temple with plans to ordain as a novice for the summer, later recounted the events in more detail. He explained that on the evening of the incident, after participating in the evening prayers with the monks and laypeople at the temple’s sermon hall, he went to wait under the temple’s hall for his friends to play games. It was then that the monk and vendor confronted him, accusing him of theft.
The boy insisted that he was innocent, but his pleas were ignored. The harassment became physical when Aunt Khiewwan slapped him, and Phra Nikh kicked him in the chest. Terrified, the boy fled from the temple, running through the back of the building before walking along a nearby railway track. He was eventually picked up by a kind-hearted stranger who took him to his aunt’s house in the nearby area of Nong Mai Kaeo, about 11 kilometers from the temple.
The boy stayed at his aunt’s house for four days, afraid to return home due to the trauma and fear of his parents’ reaction. However, when his parents located him, they immediately took him home and filed a police report to press charges against the monk and the vendor.
Mr. Nont, the boy’s father, has made it clear that his son did not steal anything from the temple. He is now seeking justice for the physical and emotional abuse his son suffered, as well as the wrongful accusations. Despite the boy’s denial, Phra Nikh and Aunt Khiewwan reportedly continued to claim that he had stolen from the temple.
The boy’s parents have taken the necessary steps to ensure legal action is taken against both the monk and the vendor. The police are now investigating the allegations and will determine whether the two individuals should face charges for their conduct. In the meantime, the boy has continued to assert that he did not commit any theft and that the physical abuse was entirely unprovoked.
