Thread: Bangkok: Police Launches Investigation into Foreigner Assault on BTS Case

Quick thinking security officials, realising this guy may have been a terrorist with Sarin gas stored in his kids balloons.

Well done BTS, give that man a promotion!

If the report is true, the guy was being a dick booting trashcans in a temper tantrum, especially with his daughter stood next to him.

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

In any case, the company is planning to compensate the victim, which will be unrelated to the police's investigation.

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

victim

Where I come from, that is an admission of guilt. Let's be for real here.

The farang got clubbed over some balloons? Really? Really? He probably developed a deep hatred for farangs seeing all the Thai ladies being escorted around the BTS by farangs and he can't get a date except with his hand.

I bet the guard would not have clubbed a Thai.

I don't know about that one Chitown. I think the club is pretty indiscriminate in its selection of beat down subjects.

Over reaction on both sides of the fence. Lucky he only had a club and not a Glock 9mm. That could get messy.

Think the two boys got no deals on the board. Bad day at the office

You kick our trash cans, we kick your ass, I can live with that rule. Idiot crybaby.

I think the whole problem stems from the difference of acceptable levels of violence between the two cultures.

When in Rome and all that.

BTS file complaints against foreign passenger - The Nation

BTS file complaints against foreign passenger

March 22, 2012 3:58 pm

Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTS), the operator the Skytrain, has lodged a complaint against a foreign passenger who allegedly quarrelled and fought with BTS security guards over his attempt to bring along four floating balloons into a train.

The passenger, John Behan, has also filed a complaint against the security guards. In his complaint, the guards attacked him in front of his young daughter.

"Our complaint is about the damages to property and attempts to attack our staff members," BTS executive Anat Arbhabhirama said Thursday.

I think it's too early to figure out what happened. It will come out in the wash eventually. BTS has the security camera footage and it will eventually be released.

BTS apologises for guard's clash with Irish passenger - The Nation

BTS apologises for guard's clash with Irish passenger

The Nation March 23, 2012 1:00 am


Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTS), the operator of the Skytrain, yesterday apologised to a foreign passenger who claimed he was attacked by a security guard for breaching a rule banning gas-filled balloons on the rail system.

The apology followed the filing of police complaints by both sides in the March 16 altercation at Prompong Station.

"We have already removed the guard[s] who were involved from the BTS system," BTS executive Anat Arbhabhirama said yesterday.

He added that negligent officials - who he said were the source of the passenger's dissatisfaction - would also face a disciplinary probe and harsh disciplinary action.

Irish teacher John Behan did not stop when security guards at Prompong Station told him he could not take balloons onto the train, saying he had boarded the Skytrain several times that day with the balloons, which had been given to his 7-year-old daughter as graduation presents.

The girl had celebrated her graduation from kindergarten earlier in the day.

"Balloons are inflammable. We strictly don't allow passengers to bring along gas-filled balloons," Anat said.

According to Anat, Behan argued heatedly with the security guards, pushing one in the chest and kicking the chief of the station. In self-defence, a security guard hit the passenger with a scanner.

"The chief of the station then tried to provide first aid, but the passenger refused and tried to walk up the platform. Then, the scene turned chaotic again," Anat said.

He said BTS would take additional measures to ensure that such an incident never happened again.

Anat said BTS would cooperate with the investigation into a complaint filed by Behan. In his complaint, Behan said he was attacked while his young daughter was watching.

Earlier in the day, Anat said BTS had lodged a complaint against Behan over damage to its property and attempts to assault its staff.

He said police would investigate and determine who was in the wrong.

Anat said he believed there might have been a problem with communication, as station staff were not fluent in English.

In a message posted on the Internet, Behan's wife Patcharamas Phusri said the incident took place on March 16, the day her daughter celebrated her graduation from a kindergarten.

"The balloons are gifts from her teachers and other parents on her graduation day. They have much sentimental value to her," Patcharamas said in the message. "My husband, his coworkers, our daughter and my mom took the Sktrain with the balloons before they ended up having problems at the Prompong station." An informed source yesterday disclosed that many security guards at Siam Station were transferred for their failure to prevent Behan from carrying the floating balloons into a train.

In her post, Patcharamas said she was not present during the confrontation, but rushed to the scene as soon as she was notified that her husband was involved in an altercation.

"When I arrived, I found my husband was bleeding," she said.

She claimed the BTS security guards attacked her husband after they had already taken the balloons away.

Both sides have lodged complaints with Thonglor police station.

The police station's superintendent, Colonel Ratsak Raksalam, said investigators would question more witnesses, possibly including the one who posted a video of the incident on the Internet.

"The clips we have obtained from Skytrain have no audio," he said.

According to him, police have not yet pressed charges against anyone as they are still waiting for physical examination certificates issued by a doctor.

"The doctor at the Police Hospital will determine the level of Behan's injuries," Ratsak said, explaining that this would determine the severity of any possible charges.

Ratsak said that from what he had learned so far, he believed both Behan and BTS security guard Prasarn Thawongklang were trying to do their "duty".

"Behan was doing his duty as a father, but Prasarn was carrying out his duty as a security guard of the Skytrain," the police officer said. "If a balloon explodes in a train compartment, other passengers may think a bomb has gone off and panic. A stampede could follow, and many people can be injured in such scenario."

According to Ratsak, a physical assault is punishable by a fine and/or a jail term.

"If the assault does not really cause physical harm, the maximum fine is Bt1,000 and the jail term would be no more than one month," he said.

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

The video clip showed the foreigner and BTS officials having a heated argument at the front of the ticket collection machine before he was clubbed in the head by the guards' baton.

Oh, so the guard's baton acted on its own by clubbing the passenger in the head?

^^
Elsewhere on the interweb it was reported that he was not hit with a baton/truncheon, but rather with a handheld metal detector. It is a bit pricey and sophisticated piece of equipment to use as a club.

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

"Balloons are inflammable. We strictly don't allow passengers to bring along gas-filled balloons," Anat said.

Don't be a twat. Helium isn't flammable.

^^
The balloons in question were filled with air. At 54 seconds in the video the balloons are dropped and fall to the ground.

This reason (third to last paragraph of the March 23, 2012 article) would seem to make more sense about not allowing balloons

"If a balloon explodes in a train compartment, other passengers may think a bomb has gone off and panic. A stampede could follow, and many people can be injured in such scenario."

If I brought a bunch of balloons on the BTS and started popping them, I am sure that would cause some problems.

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

BTS apologises for guard's clash with Irish passenger

Too bad the BTS appears to have whimped out. if you were advised of the rules at home, then threw a temper tantrum and started kicking trash cans in a train station you would be arrested with whatever force was necessary, why should Thailand be any different. Foreigners are not supposed to be spoiled over pampered children the way many Thai males are.

Sure the ban on balloons might be silly, but that's not the way to change it.

^^
While I don't disagree with you that if someone did that (kicking over trash cans, etc.) should face some repercussions, I don't think we have enough information to determine whether or not that actually occurred. The man is an English teacher, with a Thai wife and child...those allegations could seriously effect his career and his ability to stay in Thailand. All of the allegations would be either proven or disproven with the relese of the CCTV tapes.

Channel 3 says the guy's a TEFLER and showed his beat-up face on TV this morning. He don't look too good. Those BTS Security people really put a thumping to him.

Don't know why folks are getting pissed off about this when the same shit for less is going down in the UK and US.

Either way, the guy was being a bitch and should have left the balloons behind.

since when Thais panic when they hear a big noise ? they just stay there and look around puzzled,

I would have let he baloons down and have blown them back up again when i got home .

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

The girl had celebrated her graduation from kindergarten earlier in the day.

my daughter did as well.
Joke to see them in graduate gowns and mortar
ridicules a degree
but then you buy them in Thailand anyway

Originally Posted by pickel

Originally Posted by chitown

Where I come from, that is an admission of guilt. Let's be for real here.

OK, let's be for real here then. You come from Chicago. If this incident happened there and the guy carrying the balloons was a dark skinned Muslim, you'd be praising the authorities for shooting him, and would be accusing the transit authority of kowtowing to PC liberals by offering him compensation.

I was wondering when someone like you would bring race into the picture. That always happens with your kind.

Originally Posted by WujouMao

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

"Balloons are inflammable. We strictly don't allow passengers to bring along gas-filled balloons," Anat said.

Don't be a twat. Helium isn't flammable.

Balloons here are usually filled with Hydrogen, as its cheaper.

There was a priceless incident here a few years ago on "No Smoking Day" or somesuch, when some bigwig ceremonially cut a giant balloon "cigarette" in half with a sword and it exploded, leaving a few people rather scorched.