BANGKOK (Reuters) – The death of a 13-year-old boy, knocked out during a Thai boxing match, has inflamed debate about whether children should be allowed to take part in a dangerous sport that many of them see as their only chance of escaping poverty.
Anucha Kochana was pronounced dead from a brain haemorrhage on Monday after he was knocked out in a match on the outskirts of Bangkok on Sunday evening.
Thai boxing, or Muay Thai as it is known, is a passion in Thailand with millions of boys dreaming of glory in the ring, and a life of riches, for them and their families, that success can bring.
But the sport is governed by few rules – children of any age can box in an organised match – leaving them at risk of severe injury, or worse, as Anucha’s case has sadly shown.
The boy’s grieving relatives told media they would not press charges over his death.
But legislators appointed by a military government have already been looking to tighten regulations to ban children under the age of 12 from professional bouts. But the effort is opposed by many in the boxing community.
“Those aged 12 to 15 will need to be registered, have the permission of their parents and wear protective gear for professional fights,” General Adulyadej Inthapong, the vice chairman of the National Legislative Assembly’s committee on sports, told Reuters, referring to the proposed law.
Footage of Anucha’s last fight posted on social media shows the boy, without any protective gear, getting punched repeatedly in the head before falling down and banging his head on the mat. Somchart Charoenwatcharawit, president of the Professional Boxing Association of Thailand, said the proposed changes would hurt the livelihood of an estimated 300,000 child boxers under the age of 15.
“The new rule … will hurt the children and their parents who earn tens of thousands of baht from boxing in what is a national sport,” Somchart said.
He said the referee on Sunday should have stopped the fight when Anucha looked groggy and the match did not meet his association’s standards.
The association thinks the minimum age for boys taking part in organised bouts should be 10, he said.
Jiraporn Laothamatas, a neuroradiologist and director of the Advanced Diagnostic Imaging Center, has studied the damage that boxing can inflict. Her research has fuelled the push for change but she says even the proposed minimum age of 12 for competition is a compromise that she disagrees with.
“If I had my way, the minimum age would be 18,” she said, while acknowledging that Muay Thai is an important source of income for many, as well as being culturally important.
“The change in the law is being delayed because the industry makes a lot of money from child boxing,” she said.
“It will take some guts for the government to push it through.”
(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Panu Wongcha-um; Editing by Robert Birsel)
-->Click here to visit our Main UdonInfo Forum Site.
-
Electric massage chair almost eats man ali... (1) , AdminExpatInfo, Wed, 06:09:06
Rapist of granny, 89, caught - but the gra... (1) , AdminExpatInfo, Wed, 03:30:18
Police in Trang in southern Thailand have arrested a 71 year old man after he admitted rapi...
Video: Dog Trashes Car - bugger off and te... (1) , AdminExpatInfo, Tue, 03:15:57
A dog owner told their neighbor that they refused to accept responsibility for the damage t...
The hunt is on for a Thai taxi driver who ... (1) , AdminExpatInfo, Wed, 02:09:36
The hunt is on for a Thai taxi driver who took an upskirt picture of a female passenger in ...
German expats perfect the ' pointing ' sta... (1) , AdminExpatInfo, Tue, 06:26:04
Officials in central Prachuap Khiri Khan went to a three story property after complaints th...
Evidence of prostitution found in Pattaya:... (1) , AdminExpatInfo, Tue, 03:43:47
The special administrative department of the Pattaya authorities finally showed the police ...
Liquids, gels, sprays and food banned from... (1) , AdminExpatInfo, Mon, 03:28:46
Sanook said that D-Day for new Civil Aviation Authority bans on a whole host of foods, liqu...
Chinese tourist in Bangkok caught defecati... (1) , AdminExpatInfo, Tue, 05:42:38
Thai Rath reported that a Chinese male tourist had dropped his trousers and attempted to po...
Outrage after farang stars in Chiang Mai p... (1) , AdminExpatInfo, Sat, 03:51:24
Social media users have called for the police to investigate the origins of an adult movie ...
Villagers in Khon Kaen falling for so-call... (1) , AdminExpatInfo, Thu, 00:12:42
KHON KAEN Provincial Public Health official Peera Areerat has warned people against buying ...
Udon Thani - German pensioner electrocuted... (1) , AdminExpatInfo, Wed, 02:30:43
Sanook reported that a 78 year old German pensioner was electrocuted trying to repair a pum...
German tourist's head bound with duct tape... (1) , AdminExpatInfo, Wed, 01:00:00
Ao Nang, Krabi police called to a luxury hotel's 6th floor on Tuesday found a 40 year old G...
Fired worker went on Bt6m spending spree w... (1) , AdminExpatInfo, Tue, 05:44:35
A woman who was fired by her company took revenge by stealing her former boss’s credit card...
Bikini babes light up record breaking &qu... (1) , AdminExpatInfo, Mon, 04:44:35
Gecko arrested after obstructing doorway (1) , AdminExpatInfo, Sat, 04:49:53
BUENG KAN — The bravery of Thai police was put to the test once again on Thursday night – b...
Taxi driver: "I didn't mean to attack... (1) , AdminExpatInfo, Sat, 02:46:17
A taxi driver told police in Bangkok that he never intended to attack two South Korean wome...
Russian used pen to change his visa stamp ... (1) , AdminExpatInfo, Fri, 02:40:32
A Russian man who was caught on overstay at the Klong Leuk border checkpoint to Cambodia to...
Revenge! Thai wife hangs herself and son, ... (1) , AdminExpatInfo, Thu, 03:37:02
A Thai wife - stressed that her husband was arranging for his mistress to move in next door...
Secondary student set upon by female "... (1) , AdminExpatInfo, Wed, 04:02:10
Nearly half a million Thais viewed a clip from the north east that showed a M2 (second year...
Khon Kaen: Bus company fined 5,000 baht fo... (1) , AdminExpatInfo, Tue, 03:15:06
The Department of Land Transport in Khon Kaen in north eastern Thailand have fined a bus co...
One killed many injured as huge rocket fli... (1) , AdminExpatInfo, Mon, 06:13:32
One man died and many others were injured when a thirteen meter long home made rocket packe...
Brit left with fractured skull after Thai ... (1) , AdminExpatInfo, Sat, 03:07:53
A British man has been left hospitalised in northern Thailand after he tried to break up a ...
Tuk-tuk driver is caught after over-chargi... (1) , AdminExpatInfo, Fri, 04:54:32
A tuk-tuk driver, who charged three American tourists 1,500 baht for a trip in Bangkok, has...
‘Furious aunts’ fined Bt12,000 each, hande... (1) , AdminExpatInfo, Thu, 11:44:09
The two so-called “furious aunts” were handed a suspended jail term, on top of a fine of Bt...
Soi Dogs: Cruel person throws four stray m... (1) , AdminExpatInfo, Wed, 06:12:06
Rescue services in Buriram were called after the owner of a dress shop found four dogs had ... Advertisements
Advertisements
Advertisements
