Songkran, which takes place in mid-April, is the Thai New Year celebration, and the event is marked by washing statues of Buddha. This has extended to throwing water on other people, which is usually a fun time for all involved. Unfortunately, since it’s a festival, there are a lot of drunk idiots causing grief for everyone else. To help curb this, a representative from Buriram City made an announcement: anybody disrupting the celebration will be immediately thrown into a ring with a professional Muay Thai kickboxer for three rounds.
This is a hilariously wonderful idea. Could you imagine how quickly general jackassery would ramp down if the immediate consequence was a thorough and severe face punching? I don’t riot, but I certainly wouldn’t even consider it if I knew a clinch knee was in my future, because guess what, nobody likes taking a drubbing.
There’s some brief video evidence of the handful of young rapscallions that got pinched doing dumb stuff, and the law apparently even allows them to pick the fighter that will administer the beating. I wonder, though, if there are special circumstances. Do non-Thai folk have to get punch-kicked by an equally farang fighter, like Jean-Charles Skarbowsky? And what if you completely wreck house on a temple, does the Thai government bring in Buakaw to destroy your face? Do famous people have to fight Tony Jaa?
I know this is essentially “Bully Beatdown” except real, which makes it fantastic. I hope this concept spreads throughout the rest of the world, and in a few months, “The People’s Court” and “Friday Night Fights” can merge into one show.
(Via RocketNews, h/t to Casey Campbell)
