Mother demands action after abbot slaps son over alms offering

NAKHON SAWAN — 15 August 2026, A mother is demanding legal action against an abbot who allegedly slapped her Grade 7 son in the face in front of his classmates after the boy accidentally threw a packet of instant noodles into the monk’s alms bowl.

The incident took place on 12 August 2026 during a National Mother’s Day alms-giving ceremony at a school in Phaisali district, Nakhon Sawan province.

On 15 August, reporters visited the home of Supannee in Ban Ko Kha Chang, Samrong Chai subdistrict, Phaisali district, following a complaint that her son had been assaulted by the abbot of a nearby temple.

The boy said the school had invited the abbot and other monks from a temple next to the school to receive alms from students during a morning ceremony.

He was holding a packet of instant noodles and intended to place it in the abbot’s alms bowl. However, another student was standing in front of him, preventing him from reaching the bowl. He therefore accidentally tossed the noodles into it.

The abbot became angry, asked the boy his name and allegedly slapped him hard across the face. The boy was then called to the activity area, where the abbot reprimanded him in front of other students, leaving him embarrassed.

“I had no intention of throwing the noodles into the monk’s alms bowl. I really couldn’t reach it, so I did it without realizing it was inappropriate,” the boy said.

He said he initially felt numb rather than pain after being slapped. After returning home, however, he developed pain in his jaw that extended toward his ear. His mother noticed something was wrong and asked him what had happened.

Supannee said she became furious and immediately took her son to see a doctor before filing a police complaint at Takro Police Station.

The boy also said several teachers were present during the incident but did not protect him. Instead, he was reprimanded for throwing an item into a monk’s alms bowl.

A video was reportedly recorded during the incident, but there was no footage showing the alleged assault, despite teachers filming throughout the event. The boy said this made him feel hurt and was one of the reasons he did not want to return to the school.

Supannee said she acknowledged that her son’s actions were inappropriate, but believed the monk should not have slapped him.

“Even though my son did something inappropriate, the monk should not have slapped him. As a monk, he should show compassion. He could have warned him or tapped his hand instead of slapping him in the face,” she said.

She said her son suffered a split lip and jaw pain, with a doctor’s medical opinion documenting injuries consistent with an assault.

Supannee said she would not accept what happened and intended to pursue the case to the fullest extent of the law.

The school principal later visited Supannee and her son with a gift basket to apologize for the incident. However, the family said they still intended to pursue legal action against the abbot.

The abbot, who also serves as a subdistrict ecclesiastical chief, acknowledged that he had hit the boy but said it was not forceful.

He said the action was intended as a lesson because throwing an object into a monk’s alms bowl was inappropriate. He also admitted to calling the boy to the activity area and reprimanding him in front of other students, but denied intending to humiliate him.

“It was to teach the students as a whole that this should not be done,” the abbot said.

Regarding the criminal complaint, he said he would allow the matter to proceed according to the law.

He ended by saying, “Perhaps it’s time for me to leave the monkhood.”

The abbot has reportedly been ordained and residing at the temple for 36 years.