BANGKOK - A Thai teacher faces prosecution after cellphone footage showed him beating a pupil and slamming the boy's head into a whiteboard for forgetting his textbook, officials and reports said Tuesday.

The video, shown on local television stations, showed the male teacher at a privately-run Thai-Chinese secondary school in Bangkok grabbing the 12-year-old by his throat and hitting him around the head several times.

The 29-year-old teacher snapped when the boy responded using rude language after being reprimanded for failing to bring his schoolbook to class, the Bangkok Post newspaper said.

Education Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said the teacher had resigned from the Kwongsiew Thai-Chinese school but could still face charges.

"Although he has quit, the authorities can still prosecute him if the boy's relatives file a complaint with police," Jurin told Channel 3 television.

There has been concern in Thailand in recent weeks after several video clips of student brawls filmed on cellphones were posted on the Internet.

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