Rice Noodles Served Without Sauce... Thai Negligent Kindergarten Director Sentenced to 385 Years

Court: "Monetary damage minimal but serious crime affecting child physical development"
5-year sentences for 77 fraud and embezzlement charges each... actual imprisonment up to 50 years

A former kindergarten principal in Thailand who provided substandard meals was sentenced to 385 years in prison. The photo shows the problematic school meal. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] A former kindergarten principal in Thailand who provided substandard meals to kindergarten students and embezzled funds was sentenced to 385 years in prison.

On the 22nd (local time), according to the Bangkok Post and Thai PBS, the Criminal Court of Thailand sentenced Somchao Sitichun, the former principal of Bantamai Kindergarten in the Tachana area of Surat Thani Province in the south, to 385 years in prison. Somchao was charged with fraud and embezzlement related to school meals and received 5 years for each of the 77 counts, totaling 385 years.

Somchao's crimes came to light after complaints from parents of the kindergarten students and the release of a video in June 2018 showing the kindergarten children being served a poor lunch consisting of thin rice noodles with only fish sauce. After about a year of investigation, the local education office dismissed Somchao. It was also revealed that Somchao committed serious illegal acts related to the procurement of kindergarten meals.

The court explained the heavy sentence by stating, "After reviewing the facts and evidence presented by the prosecution, although the financial damage was minor, the defendant's actions were serious crimes that adversely affected child development." The court did not disclose details about the amount embezzled or the duration of the substandard meal provision.

However, Somchao's actual prison term will be a maximum of 50 years. This is because Somchao cooperated with the investigation and confessed, reducing the sentence by half to 192 years and 6 months, and because of the application of Thai law which limits the maximum imprisonment period. According to Article 91, Paragraph 3 of the Thai Penal Code, unless a life sentence is imposed, a person convicted of multiple crimes punishable by up to 10 years each can serve a maximum of 50 years in prison.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.