Arnon Rodthong, owner of the largest durian business in Chumphon province in Thailand, posted an offer on Facebook that brought social media to a standstill: 30,000 baht — about 900 dollars — to anyone who slapped his son Chai’s lover at least 10 times. He even promised to cover any police fine the volunteer might receive, and to prove he was serious he showed a bundle of one million baht on camera.
What fueled the debate even more was a detail that came to light afterward: the woman, identified only as “On”, had worked as an accountant in the family business and had previously been in a relationship with another member of the family before becoming involved with Chai, who has a wife and child.
Some say that the anger of a father watching his family be destroyed from within has a human logic that is hard to ignore. Others point out that publicly offering money to assault someone — no matter what they have done — is incitement to violence, pure and simple. Where is the line between legitimate fury and crossing a line that no amount of money can justify?