It does say that he passed out.
True, which indicates pretty significant injuries. Also, a careful reading of the article indicates that this person was hit with a wooden cane, not a wooden paddle. Big difference.
As a reminder, caning is what happened to that fellow in Singapore a few years back after he was convicted of vandalism. It is not pretty.
I won't post the pictures here, because they are not for the faint of heart, but if anyone is interested in seeing the results of a caning, go here:
http://www.pekingduck.org/archives/000383.php
I have a modern art painting that looks like that.