Latest news with #Uttaradit
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Authorities Rescue Boy, 8, from Neglect and Find Him Unable to Speak
Authorities rescued an 8-year-old child who was unable to speak, according to Thai outlets He was found living with relatives who abused drugs and a handful of dogs His level of education is unclear, but he did not appear to be regularly attending school when he was saved on Monday, June 30An 8-year-old boy is recovering after authorities rescued him from an unsafe living environment, in which he was surrounded by a handful of dogs and found unable to speak. An English version of Khaosod, a Thai newspaper, reported officials rescued the child, publicly identified only as "A," from Thailand's Uttaradit province on Monday, June 30. He had been living in a ramshackle wooden home with his 46-year-old mother and 23-year-old brother, who both struggled with drug addiction, along with six dogs, according to the outlet. 'He didn't speak, he just barked,' said Pawina Hongsakul, president of the Pawina Hongsakul Foundation for Children and Women, a group that helped with the rescue, per The Thaiger. 'It was pitiful to see.' Authorities launched the rescue operation in response to a report from a local school principal, according to Khaosod. He is now being cared for at the Uttaradit Children's Home, and his relatives are facing charges related to drug use. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. There are conflicting reports about his level of education, but he did not appear to be regularly attending school at the time officials saved him. 'The boy will be given a chance at a good life,' said Hongsakul, per The Thaiger. 'We'll follow up with him to make sure he gets everything he needs.' If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages. Read the original article on People
Daily Mail
15 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Boy, eight, who only communicates by barking after he was abandoned and left with dogs by his drug-addict mother is discovered by horrified authorities in Thailand
An eight-year-old boy was found being raised by dogs and only able to communicate by barking in Thailand this week, local authorities said. The child, who has not been named, was discovered at a 'drug-infested' run-down shack during a welfare check on Monday, according to local media. Authorities found him living with his mother, 46, and brother, 23, in Lap Lae District, Uttaradit Province. Both were reported to have tested positive for drugs. They say the family had been shunned by neighbours and the child never enrolled at school, leaving him with 'no one', except the six dogs they shared the house with. 'He didn't speak, he just barked. It was pitiful to see,' said Paveena Hongsakul, president of the activist foundation that led the rescue effort with local police. The boy was said to have only been to school once, despite his mother receiving a stipend of around 400 baht (£9) for his study, according to Khaosod English. 'His mother hasn't allowed him to go to school since he received a subsidy for free education,' Ms Hongsakul said, as reported by the South China Morning Post. 'After getting the money, she simply kept him at home.' Neighbours were said to have forbidden their children from playing with the young boy due to the family's behaviour. His mother was known for allegedly begging for food and money at local temples. She was also charged with drug consumption after Monday's raid, Khaosod reports. 'The house is in a red zone for drugs,' one teacher explained. 'The boy had no one, just the dogs to play with.' Activists notified police and worked with multiple agencies to lead the raid on the one-storey shack on June 30 after local headteacher Sophon Siha-ampai raised the alarm, The Thaiger reports. Images from the scene showed authorities standing around a small family in a wooded area with several dogs on site. Police conducted urine tests on both the mother and older brother, who allegedly tested positive for drug use. Social workers intervened to place the boy in a children's home, local media reports. Ms Hongsakul, of the Foundation for Children and Women, will work with authorities to ensure the child receives continuous education, and her organisation will monitor his progress. 'The boy will be given a chance at a good life. We'll follow up with him to make sure he gets everything he needs,' she said. Local media reports the child had attended pre-school but only attended primary school once, when he reached Grade One age (around 6-7). There is not a huge corpus of information on 'feral children', or the impact of being raised without other humans. For many centuries, stories of young children being raised by animals or abandoned to live alone were left to folklore - like the story of Romulus and Remus and the founding of Rome. In recent decades, psychologists have done more to collect data to better understand how rearing practices affect the developing mind. One such victim, Oxana Malaya, was found abandoned by her alcoholic parents, living in a kennel with dogs in 1991. She was found exhibiting behaviours that resembled that of the Black Russian Terriers far more than it did typical children. She walked on all fours and barked. By adulthood, Oxana did still learn how to speak fluently, find productive work and begin a new life, despite some impairment to her abilities.
The Sun
17 hours ago
- The Sun
Boy, 8, is found being raised by pack of DOGS in squalid drug den – and can only communicate by barking
AN EIGHT-year-old boy has been discovered being raised by a pack of dogs in a filthy hut and unable to talk. The neglected youngster can only communicate through barks after being abandoned by his drug-addicted family and kept out of school. 3 3 3 Thai authorities found the boy during a raid on a run-down stilt house in the norther province of Uttaradit this week They discovered the child living with his mother and 23-year-old brother who were both riddled with drugs, tests showed. Police visited the hut after the principle of the local school contacted a children's activist, Paveena Hongsakul, who escalated the case. Paveena said: 'He didn't speak, he just barked. It was pitiful to see." The boy had never been to school properly. However, his mum did take him in once to scoop up the government support money supposed to be spent on his education, Khaosod English reports. Paveena said: 'His mother hasn't allowed him to go to school since he received a subsidy for free education. "After getting the money, she simply kept him at home." Neighbours said the 46-year-old mum would beg for money and food at the temple in the local village. The surrounding families reportedly got fed up with the mum's reckless behaviour and banned their kids from interacting with the boy. Gobsmacked shoppers watch on as hungry elephant raids Thai store and leaves with trunk full of snacks This left him with only the family's six dogs to socialise with. Starved of meaningful human contact, he began mimicking the dog's behaviour - and even adopted their barks to communicate. The urgent social visit on June 30 was a joint operation between Lap Lae police officers and Education Ministry officials. After the adults failed urine tests, they were charged with drug consumption. A local teacher said: 'The house is in a red zone for drugs. The boy had no one, just the dogs to play with." The helpless child was placed into car at the Uttaradit's Children's Home. Paveena is monitoring the boy's case to ensure he receives adequate care. She said: 'The boy will be given a chance at a good life. "We'll follow up with him to make sure he gets everything he needs."
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Neglected boy, 8, raised by dogs in Thailand ‘didn't speak, just barked'
An eight-year-old boy, abandoned in the company of his family's six dogs for years in Thailand , could communicate only by barking, authorities found when they turned up to check on him in response to reports from a local school principal and child activist. Advertisement The boy had not been to school in two years despite his mother receiving about 400 baht (US$12) in government education support funds to enrol him in classes, according to news site Khaosod English. Neighbours said the 46-year-old would beg for money and food at local villages and temples, leaving her son with only the dogs for company at their single-storey wooden house in northern Thailand's Uttaradit province. Authorities raided the crumbling stilt house on Monday after a local school principal contacted politician and activist Paveena Hongsakul with her concerns. They found the child living with his mother and 23-year-old brother, both of whom tested positive for drugs. 'He didn't speak, he just barked. It was pitiful to see,' said Paveena, president of the Paveena Hongsakul Foundation for Children and Women, who led the rescue effort alongside local police. A hillside village in northern Thailand. Photo: Ronan O'Connell The boy, who had been to kindergarten, had visited the school once when he reached Grade 1 age but had not been allowed to return. 'His mother hasn't allowed him to go to school since he received a subsidy for free education. After getting the money, she simply kept him at home,' Paveena said.
