A young man caught fighting at Newin Chitchop's Songkran celebration takes a hard right to the jaw from a professional boxer. PHOTO BY BURIRAM UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB
By Terry Fredrickson
When Newin Chitchop say "no fighting" he means it. Youngsters caught fighting at his Songkran celebration were forced to fight with professional boxers.
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Newin cracks down on Songkran brawlers
When Newin Chitchop says "no fighting" he means it.
The veteran politician from Buriram turned foorball entrepreneur held a big Songkran party at his New I-Mobile Stadium and he demanded that everyone behave themselves.
Speaking to several thousand revellers at the event, he said he expected no fighting, but it anyone dared break the rules, he had a special punishment waiting for them.
"If anyone starts a fight, I have prepared a boxing ring and professional Muay Thai boxers for them. They will have to box three rounds and cannot say no,” Mr Newin said.
Apparently several young men either didn't believe him or didn't hear him. Altogether five teenagers were caught fighting by Mr Newin's guards.
They were marched to a boxing ring and, with Mr Newin himself as the referee, they tried to defend themselves against real Muay Thai fighters.
None of the them went the full three rounds. Most were quickly and quite brutally knocked out but one young man did quite well until he received one too many knees to the stomach.
Reaction to Mr Newin's novel idea was mixed. Many supported the idea, saying brawling fighters needed to be taught a lesson.
Others were opposed. Wallop Tungkananurak, secretary-general of the Creation Foundation for Children, said the five boys should have been lectured on their actions and reported to the police.
“Otherwise, we’re saying influential people can do anything they want,” he said. “We should bear in mind that society has to obey the rule of law. We should not solve such problems based on personal whims.”
Ticha na Nakhon, director of Ban Kanchanaphisek youth training centre, warned that Mr Newin’s “punishment” risks creating a dangerous precedent.
“It is wrong to solve problems this way,” she said. “It risks fostering mental shame and hurt which could later explode. The future victims might not be Mr Newin and the boxers they fought with, but other people who are weaker than them.
''This is how violence is reproduced. The eye-for-an-eye method is not the way to solve problems with teenagers.”
Adapted from a story by Lamphai Intathep.
Vocabulary
apparently: based only on what you have heard or think, not on what you are certain is true; seemingly - ตามที่ได้รู้มา
behave: to do things in a way that people think is correct or polite - ประพฤติดี
brawler: someone who takes part in a noisy and violent fight, usually in a public place - นักสู้
brutally: in an extremely violent or cruel way - อย่างโหดร้าย
crack down on: to start dealing with someone or something much more strictly - จัดการ, ลงมือปราบปราม
dare: to be brave enough to do something - กล้า
defend: to protect against an attack - ป้องกัน,ต้าน
demand: to ask for something very firmly - เรียกร้อง, ต้องการ
entrepreneur: someone who starts their own business, especially when this involves risks - นักลงทุนทางการเงิน
foster: to encourage something to develop - สนับสนุน
foundation: an organisation that provides money for things such as medical research or for a charity - มูลนิธิ
influential people: people who have the power to affect a situation, especially in a bad way - ผู้มีอิทธิพล
knee: the joint between the top and bottom parts of the leg where it bends in the middle - หัวเข่า
lecture: to criticise somebody or tell them how you think they should behave, especially when it is done in an annoying way; to give a talk or a series of talks to a group of people on a subject, especially as a way of teaching in a university or college - สั่งสอน, ตักเตือน, บรรยาย
mental: connected with or happening in the mind; involving the process of thinking - เกี่ยวกับจิตใจ
novel: new - ใหม่
obey: to do what you are told or expected to do - เชื่อฟัง, ทำตามคำสั่ง
oppose: to disagree with or not approve of a plan or policy - คัดค้าน
personal: your own; not belonging to or connected with anyone else - เป็นส่วนตัว
precedent: an action, situation or decision which has already happened and which can be used as a reason why a similar action or decision should be performed or taken - มาตรฐานในการตัดสิน, ตัวอย่างหรือแบบอย่างที่มีมาก่อน
professional: doing something as a paid job rather than as a hobby - ที่ทำเป็นอาชีพ
punishment: an act or a way of punishing somebody - การลงโทษ
reaction: the way something responds as a result of something that happens - ปฏิกิริยา การตอบสนอง, ปฏิกิริยาตอบโต้
referee: a person who is in charge of a sports game and who makes certain that the rules are followed - ผู้ตัดสิน, กรรมการตัดสิน
reproduce: to produce something again; to make something happen again in the same way - ทำซ้ำ, ทำใหม่
reveller: someone who enjoys themselves at a celebration or noisy party by singing, dancing or by drinking alcohol - ผู้ืที่ออกมาโห่ร้อง เต้นรำเพื่อการเฉลิมฉลอง
risk: to cause someone or something to be in a dangerous situation - เสี่ยงอันตราย
rule of law: the condition in which all members of society, including its rulers, accept the authority of the law - หลักนิติธรรม
shame: used to say that somebody should feel ashamed (guilty or embarrassed - ละอายใจ, รู้สึกผิด) for something they have said or done
solve: to successfully deal with a problem or difficult situation - แก้ปัญหา
veteran: a person who has a lot of experience in a particular area or activity - ผู้อาวุโส
victim: someone who has been affected by a bad situation, such as a disaster, illness or an accident - เหยื่อผู้เคราะห์ร้าย
violence: physical force with the deliberate intention of causing damage to property or injury or death to people - ความรุนแรง, การใช้กำลังทำลาย
whim: a sudden feeling that you must have or must do something - ความคิดเพ้อฝัน, ความคิดเเปลกประหลาด
