Latest news with #PaveenaHongsakul
Sinar Daily
07-07-2025
- Sinar Daily
Authorities rescue boy who only barks, found living alone with dogs in Thailand
Authorities uncovered the situation following a tip-off from a concerned school headteacher and a child rights campaigner. 07 Jul 2025 03:34pm The child, who hadn't attended school in over two years, was meant to be enrolled using government funding. - 123RF photo for illustration purpose only SHAH ALAM – An eight-year-old boy in northern Thailand was discovered to be unable to speak and could only bark, after reportedly being left in the care of his family's six dogs for several years. According to the South China Morning Post, authorities uncovered the situation following a tip-off from a concerned school headteacher and a child rights campaigner. The child, who hadn't attended school in over two years, was meant to be enrolled using government funding. Media reports stated that his mother had been receiving around 400 baht (RM52) per month in education support but had failed to send him to class. Local residents described how the boy's 46-year-old mother would often beg for food and money in nearby villages and temples, leaving her son alone in their dilapidated wooden home in Uttaradit province, with only the dogs for company. Officials intervened on Monday after the school principal raised the alarm with Paveena Hongsakul, a politician and founder of a charity for women and children. Upon raiding the house, authorities found the child living with his mother and 23-year-old brother, both of whom later tested positive for drug use. 'He didn't speak at all, only barked. It was heartbreaking,' said Paveena, who led the rescue operation alongside local police. The boy had never attended nursery, and although he briefly visited school at the age typically associated with Year 2, he was never permitted to return. 'After receiving the educational allowance, his mother just kept him at home,' Paveena said. More Like This
Arab Times
05-07-2025
- Arab Times
Abandoned Thai Boy Raised By Dogs, Acts Like One
UTTARADIT, THAILAND, July 5 : Authorities in northern Thailand have rescued an eight-year-old boy found living in squalid conditions with a pack of dogs, displaying animal-like behavior and unable to communicate with human speech. The child, whose name has not been released, was discovered during a welfare check on Monday at a dilapidated, drug-ridden shack in the Lap Lae District of Uttaradit Province. According to local media, the boy was found alongside his 46-year-old mother and 23-year-old brother, both of whom tested positive for drug use. The residence, described by officials as a known hotspot for narcotics activity, was shared with six dogs, the only companions the boy appeared to have. 'He didn't speak—he only barked. It was heartbreaking,' said Paveena Hongsakul, president of the Paveena Foundation for Children and Women, which collaborated with police and social workers on the rescue operation. The child had been isolated from the community and had never been enrolled in school, despite his mother receiving a government education subsidy of approximately 400 baht (about £9) per month. Activists allege that the mother kept the boy at home after receiving the financial support and forbade him from attending school. Local residents told authorities that they had barred their children from playing with the boy due to the family's erratic behavior. The mother, reportedly known for begging at nearby temples, now faces charges related to drug consumption. "The house was located in a red zone for drug activity," said a local teacher. "This boy had no one—just the dogs to play with." The rescue was prompted by concerns raised by school headteacher Sophon Siha-ampai, which led the foundation to coordinate a multi-agency response. Images from the scene showed authorities surrounding the modest one-storey home, with dogs roaming the wooded property. Following the intervention, the child was transferred to a local children's home, where he will begin receiving the care and education he has long been denied. Ms. Hongsakul confirmed that the foundation will closely monitor the boy's development and ensure he is integrated into the education system. 'He will be given the chance to live a better life,' she said. 'We'll follow up to make sure he receives the support he needs.' Reports indicate the boy had briefly attended preschool but only appeared once at primary school before being withdrawn. Experts note that cases of so-called 'feral children'—those raised in extreme isolation or by animals—remain rare and poorly understood. One notable case is that of Oxana Malaya, a Ukrainian girl discovered in 1991 after years of living in a kennel with dogs. She exhibited canine-like behaviors, such as walking on all fours and barking, but later achieved partial rehabilitation, including fluency in speech and stable employment. Authorities in Thailand hope that, with early intervention and consistent care, this boy's story will lead to a similar path of recovery and reintegration.
Metro
05-07-2025
- Metro
Boy, 8, found being raised by dogs and can only communicate by barking
An eight-year-old boy was found barking like a dog after allegedly being left to live among them in a filthy hut in northern Thailand. The child, who has not been named, was discovered at a 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. He was allegedly neglected and isolated from human interaction for years. He then turned to his six pet dogs instead and began to mimic their behaviour by crawling on all fours and communicating in barks. The child was discovered after Sophon Seehaamphai, director of the school the boy once attended, alerted that he had not returned for two years, The Thaiger reported. The school informed child rights activisit, Paveena Hongsakul of the Foundation for Children and Women, who escalated the case to local police. Social workers and police officers then visited the dilapidated house on June 30 and found the child living in squalid conditions. His mother and brother were charged with drug consumption after testing positive for illegal substances. Authorities placed the boy under protective care at a local children's home. Paveena Hongsakul said the boy 'didn't speak, he just barked', adding: 'It was pitiful to see.' The English-language Bangkok-based news website Khaosod English reported the boy never attended school but once visited with his mother to collect a government support grant that was meant to be spent on his education. 'After getting the money, she simply kept him at home,' Paveena said, as reported by the South China Morning Post. Neighbours claimed the mother regularly begged for money and food from local temples. Families in the area reportedly prevented their children from interacting with the boy because of his mother's behaviour. Paveena has helped to coordinate the child's education in the future and her foundation will continue to monitor his progress alongside the Social Development and Education ministries in Thailand. 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.' More Trending The disturbing reports come after two children who were unable to speak were found living in the woods in Italy. Rayan, six, and Noha, nine, were 'filthy' and wearing nappies when discovered by military officers near Lauriano, outside Turn, in April. Their parents never registered the children with health officials or a school and claimed to be home-educating them, despite that they could not read of write. The father, 54, told the Italian newspaper Corriere Torino that he and his wife, 38, brought the children to a remote farmhouse to 'protect them' from the coronavirus pandemic. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Woman charged with murder after man dies in house fire MORE: I veered inland in Vietnam and saw a side few tourists see MORE: Man who urged vulnerable woman to kill herself so he could take pleasure watching is jailed
Daily Mail
04-07-2025
- 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 Irish Sun
04-07-2025
- The Irish 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, from northern Thailand, could only communicate through barks after being abandoned by his drug-addicted family and kept out of school. 3 Authorities found an eight-year-old boy being raised by dogs in a filthy hut in Thailand Credit: Khaosod English 3 The 46-year-old mother and 23-year-old brother were charged with drug offences Credit: Khaosod English 3 The boy was taken away and placed in a care home Credit: Khaosod English Thai authorities found the boy during a raid on a run-down stilt house in the 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." read more in world news 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, 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." Most read in The US Sun 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."
