Photos of a disabled man being attacked by a security guard at a BTS skytrain station have sparked an uproar from Thai netizens after circulating on social networks.
An anonymous poster, whose friend witnessed the brutal treatment of the man, uploaded the photos on Pantip.com. The poster claimed that the unnamed victim was attacked by a security guard at National Stadium station for being too slow when asked to leave the platform.
“My friend saw a security guard banging his stick on the rail of the stairs and yelling at the man to get out of the station,” said the post on Pantip.com.
“However, due to his disability he was not as quick as the guard wanted, so the guard beat him with the stick several times on his back and stomach.
“My friend reprimanded the guard for his treatment. Several foreigners who witnessed the attack tried to escort the victim down the stairs but the guard stopped them saying, "Don’t help him; he can do it by himself.'”
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Photos from Pantip.com
According to the poster, the guard continued to attack the victim and taunted him until he left the station.
“When I got to scene, I saw him in tears, shivering and scared,” the poster added.
“I don’t understand how someone could be so brutal to a helpless man.”
The poster said the victim told him he begs for money in the area because he has no choice. He said he would prefer to do something else but that it was difficult for him to find a job because of his disability.
Pantip.com was flooded with outraged posts, asking BTS management to take action against the security guard.
However, some posters also pointed out that the man who posted the photo on the forum was not present during the incident and he may have missed any exchange between the guard and the disabled man that preceded the attack.
One poster defended the guard, saying that BTS did not allow beggars on the platform, speculating that the victim might have ignored the guard's warning several times and the action was an outcome of rage.
However, many disagreed with the comment, saying that the guard had no right to attack the beggar.