The latest reports surrounding the downfall of Witat Wongsa -- an acclaimed Thai-language teacher who was named by the Education Ministry as the nation's best teacher in 2017 -- continue to draw the public's attention.
The 36-year-old, nicknamed "Sunthorn Foo" after the renowned late poet Sunthorn Phu for his way with words, was arrested in Bangkok last week over accusations of online fraud. As he was taken into custody, he captivated the public by making a poetic plea for the police to give him a second chance and for the public to learn from his gambling addiction.
After graduating magna cum laude, Mr Wiwat's teaching career quickly took off. He secured a comfortable position with a famous school and was even invited by the Office of the Basic Education Commission to help develop the nation's curriculum for Thai-language studies. What was supposed to be the start of an illustrious career quickly took a turn for the worse when he became addicted to online gambling. The habit drove him to borrow large sums of money from his colleagues and even students as he struggled to keep up with his ballooning debt.
Desperate for cash, he turned to Facebook, where he cheated many people by claiming to make hotel bookings on their behalf while taking their money to service his debts. Thus ended the promising career of the charming poet -- Mr Wiwat lost his job as he was forced to go on the run to evade the police. Even when he was on the lam, he told police he was constantly making bets on online gambling sites through his mobile phone.
Mr Wiwat's case serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of gambling, which is considered illegal under Thai law, except in some instances, such as betting on horse races and the government lottery. Despite the restrictions, not a single week has gone by without news of gambling-related arrests -- some of which, unfortunately, involve the police.
The most gruesome example of the dangers of gambling is the case of Sararat "Aem" Rangsiwuthaporn, who is now facing murder charges for poisoning at least 14 people in an effort to control their assets. Investigators learned that Aem committed those murders because she was struggling with a serious gambling addiction -- at one point, she spent one million baht in a day.
While stories like these are often reported, what have the government and our lawmakers done to tackle the nation's growing gambling problem? So far, the government has been focusing on the legal aspect of the problem -- with some lawmakers arguing that the government needs to legalise gambling so they can attract more tourists and collect taxes on such activities. Without a doubt, the push is informed by the belief that gambling has become too big of a problem to root out, so the government might as well legalise it.
But little to nothing has been done to find ways to prevent people from becoming addicted to gambling and/or help family members who are affected by gambling addiction.
The government should learn from the example set by the United Kingdom's National Health Service, which offers psychological and/or other assistance to those struggling with gambling addiction along with their families.
During the past few years, academic experts and welfare activists have called on the government to create a national body dedicated to solving the nation's gambling problem. It is hoped that the new government will make this issue a priority. Without state help, many lives and careers will be lost to gambling addiction.