Woman Injured After Falling Onto Bangkok Skytrain Tracks

[Brewsta]

I use the train everyday, and the way Thai's just push pass you to make sure they get on before you, this kind of thing was always going to happen at some point!

Thai's are just soo ignorant at times! No manners, whatsoever!

Hope she recovers soon!!

Maybe invest in station platform barriers that only open, when the incoming train stops and the train doors open - works well pretty much that way in most modern transit systems worldwide e.g. London Undergound.

I hope that the poor victim recovers fully and quickly - no CCTV to ID the perp(s) who 'shoved' her onto the tracks, I guess?

regards, Brewsta

[Brewsta]

One thing you forgot to consider when talking about Singaporean train users, they have no common sense so very hard to use any. I have lived here for 9 years and find them generally rude and inconsiderate.

Hope the lady recovers quickly and hopefully next she she is waiting on a train she has a baseball bat handy to club those inconsiderate to others.

Singapore train users are much more rude and aggresive than here, particularly in regard to blocking the centre section of the platform opposite the doors supposedly for departing passengers to use.

I noticed a few weeks back, there are now huge posters on some of the stations, requesting boarding passengers to adhere to this what should be common sense rule.

maybe you need to come and live here in the Land of Smiles, Steve, where we have none of those impolite oiks Well, maybe a few... err, this dreadful story excepted, naturally.

regards, Brewsta

Edited January 20, 2010 by Brewsta

[junkofdavid2]

And the person responsible for this? Vaporized?

CCTV security cameras should be able to easily identify the culprit(s), if indeed it was caused by such.

[ingvar]

The rude behaviour when entering any public transport and elevators, doors,whatever is not uniquely Thai but is a typical Asian feature and happens everywhere in Asia for example in China, Indonesia, Thailand.

I have no idea why this is but I know that when I grew up in Europe nobody had to explicitly teach me hoe to enter a door or public transport, just seems common sense to let people out first and wait your turn to enter.

[grantbkk]

While the Thais are getting a little better than they used to be about keeping the space open for arriving passengers I think it will be a couple of more years before they "get it". I have very low expectations when I'm in line on the platform for a train and enjoy watching the show when predominantly Thais begin jockeying for the head of he line when they think they have waited too long for a train or see the train entering the station.

Poor Craig123 will have to eat his words when he's been here for more than 5 minutes. Some of life's lessons must be learned by experience rather than logical thinking or relying on another person's common sense. To relieve negative stress I suggest we all just sit back and watch, take in the show and be aware we are responsible alone for our personal safety.

[tonyrx7]

I've only visited Bangkok 6 times and thought everybody, Thai and foreigner alike was very well behaved and moved orderly in the train and thru out the BTS stations. Try riding crowded train in Japan during rush hour and be prepare to be groped accidentally and purposely if you are attractive. Surprisingly pickpocket are very unusual in Japan. O but Japanese people are very polite and well manners compare to Thai, infact there's no dispute on who walk first in many situation. There's no such thing as lady first.

People in crowded Hong Kong don't say sorry when bumping into each other because everybody understood that's the fact of life and it's accidental. If you get upset over it and wants to apologize and say excused me everytime because it's good manners, go right ahead and see how long before you get tired of it. Every countries has its own reason for being the way that they are and I think Thailand is not too bad, because it could be worst. I haven't seen any graffiti in Bangkok BTS train or inside the stations, unfortunately I can't say the same for my home country here in USA.

Edited January 20, 2010 by tonyrx7

[granuaile]

Thai's are just soo ignorant at times! No manners, whatsoever!

Excuse me? Did you say Thais are so ignorant and no manners? I'm not Thai but I call your comment foul, uncalled-for. For all I know Thais relatively polite people, wherever you go, inside the train, in the bus, everywhere, with few exceptions like this train incident where you based your inappropriate comment.

How long have you been here mate? 2 weeks?? Time will see you change your opinion on that especially in bkk.

I've been here for half a year, and have been in BKK many times before that. My opinion has not changed. I've had far more Westerners push their way past me than I have Thai, and I have rode the skytrain, buses, and/or MRT almost daily for the past several months. It gets congested and tight and people are tired, but even on a #18 or #515 bus packed with students and work commuters between 5 and 6 PM, I have never experienced rudeness from Thais even when I have to push past them to get to the door and exit.

I wonder why people who have attitudes towards the Thai like that stay here. I choose to be here. I have a small pension, very small, I live well enough here with enough friends, mostly Thai, I'm happy here and I find the Thai people exceptionally helpful, kind, and generous, whether in the stores, on mass transit, or as neighbors.

Granuaile

[asean]

Thai's are just soo ignorant at times! No manners, whatsoever!

Excuse me? Did you say Thais are so ignorant and no manners? I'm not Thai but I call your comment foul, uncalled-for. For all I know Thais relatively polite people, wherever you go, inside the train, in the bus, everywhere, with few exceptions like this train incident where you based your inappropriate comment.

How long have you been here mate? 2 weeks?? Time will see you change your opinion on that especially in bkk.

mmmm been here a lot longer than 2 weeks even years. I find thais painstakingly slow and courteous when shuffling onto a crowded skytrain. Actually never experienced thais pushing anywhere. They consider it very rude. This is not china, japan, or singapore. In fact to call Thais "no manners" is laughable. Their whole culture is based on courtesy and saving face. But then again this is Thai(bashing)Visa where you can safely insult your host country (because you are only a guest here) from the safe anonimity of an expat webforum. Who says the lady was not pushed by a farang? Let me say it first....another nail in the coffin.....

[Tanaka]

Thai's are just soo ignorant at times! No manners, whatsoever!

Excuse me? Did you say Thais are so ignorant and no manners? I'm not Thai but I call your comment foul, uncalled-for. For all I know Thais relatively polite people, wherever you go, inside the train, in the bus, everywhere, with few exceptions like this train incident where you based your inappropriate comment.

Craig said "AT TIMES". You did not read that, did you? And have you been in Thailand at all or just read about the Land of Smiles in brochures and tourist books? And you say that "For all I know thais are always polite". Yeah right. You do not speak thai so you don't know what they say about you. If you were here, that is.

[StreetCowboy]

You guys who think its a Thai thing to push onto a train ought to try NYC subways- the BTS is orderly and polite in comparison. As a couple of people mentioned the answer is management adding cars to the trains during rush hour. Before there is a fatality. Surprised they haven't blamed it on the security guard.

I moved from Manhattan to Bangkok and I call bullshit. Most Thais appear to have no idea of how to enter a train, and I often just walked tits-first into the ignorant bints who wouldn't let people OFF the train before they tried to get ON. And don't get me started about stopping for a nasal exploration at the top or bottom of an escalator.... I hope the lady recovers fully and quickly.

I don't think any of the behaviours highlighted are specifically Thai, and I don't think that there is a great difference in behaviour between Thai Mass Transit passengers and Singaporean. In Thailand, a great part of the poorer behaviour is simply lack of familiarity with the systems.

It is frustrating, when boarding a train, to wait for people to alight, and have them prevented from doing so by others barging past you. Which is why god gave us broad shoulders, I suppose.

What difference does it make whether someone is picking their nose or consulting a map or whatever at the foot of an escalator? I think the comment just betrays xenophobia on your part, and fastidious bigotry. It is not unusual for people of any culture to stop at the exit from an escalator, and then to blame others for running into them; it is relatively less common, in my experience, where mass transit commuting has been a common practice for many years (London, Hong Kong) perhaps because a higher of their regular passengers are in a hurry and know exactly where they are going, and those that do not get carried along in the flow.

I'm guessing that the lady was pushed off the platform either beyond the nose of the train or behind its tail. Or possibly, into the gap between carriages - I can't remember if gap-fillers have been provided between the car-ends.

BTS has a new fleet of 4-car trains on order, although I am not sure the delivery date, but should be before the Bang Na extension opens. I don't know how Siam Station will cope with the additional ridership, though.

I think BTS does a great job at improving Bangkok's infrastructure, and their skywalks benefit non-passengers as well as the fare-payers.

SC

[soinowinbkk]

NYC is worse? I lived there in the 1970s and always think of the train conductors hanging out the little windows yelling

"Let 'em off! Let 'em off, folks! Let 'em off!" And sometimes they would refuse to even open the doors until those on the platform moved to the sides to 'let 'em off'.

The one who commented on how kind and sweet the Thai people OBVIOUSLY doesn't ride the Skytrain very often. Now I simply plow HEAD-ON into those who are blocking the doors -- love the astonished 'how dare you' looks I get. Then bloody get out of the way!

At least I am not (YET) stooping to what one Thai-fluent friend does: in Thai, he says to them, "Did you leave the jungle yesterday, lady?!?" Ouch ... but might be so true...

[pieter73]

The SkyTrain operation has been a joke since last year when they opened the two stations beyond Saphan Taksin. Overcrowded trains and station platforms are now commonplace. When they switch to Thai driver manual mode from computer assisted mode just after Chong Nonsi it makes the ride feel like your at Disneyland. People falling into each other as the car slows and speeds up under the expert control of some Thai student worker. The system lacks safety equipment to allow the computer to drive at this point and we are at the mercy of whoever they let drive. Then the kicker! One train track in and out of Saphan Taksin. Pure genius! Less trains mean more people during peak hours on the platforms. No one cares and like most other Thai operations they'll take the hit for medical and burial fees rather than pay to operate the system safely. We are one our own here.

Be careful out there.

the original plan was to have 6 wagons not 4.

The amount of trains are enough only there was not enough money to buy it all

you can see that all the stations are designed for 6 wagons. only 4 are used

Pieter

[soloman]

And adding to the debate on Manners Re BTS, I find it quite uncomfortable seeing the men on the BTS/MRT who do not give their seats up for ladies - even for old ladies. In fact I have become quite fascinated by the way they (deliberately?) seem to avoid looking at the ladies. Watch them next time you travel!!! One traditional foreigner good manner worth importing.

[bkk75]

This is rubbish. People can be rude regardless of their nationality or race.

I'm not Thai but I've noticed both Thais and foreigners leaning on poles which prevents one from gasping them. To me this is not just a lack of proper up-bringing but plain selfishness and ignoring the norms and social conventions of public space.

Normally when I see this, I purposely grab the pole in hoping they realize the error of their ways. And if you can't get out or in, I would just push and elbow. Since Thais are known to be 'polite' they will not complain anyways.

After living here for 1 year, I've decided to scrap my norms and customs I'm used to and just join the crowd in being rude.

Survival of the fittest mind set certainly guarantees you a space on the BTS =)

[Brewsta]

MOD ALERT:

Do we have a Troll in the House ?

[jontom]

Thai's are just soo ignorant at times! No manners, whatsoever!

Excuse me? Did you say Thais are so ignorant and no manners? I'm not Thai but I call your comment foul, uncalled-for. For all I know Thais relatively polite people, wherever you go, inside the train, in the bus, everywhere, with few exceptions like this train incident where you based your inappropriate comment.

I agree with the posters comments that Thai's are generally ignorant and have no manners, this is based on 5 years of riding the skytrain daily. If you don't believe this try getting on the skytrain at On nut at 7.30am [...].

Edited January 20, 2010 by camerata
Derogatory generalizations about Thais deleted. No more please.

[sunsamourai]

I use the train everyday, and the way Thai's just push pass you to make sure they get on before you, this kind of thing was always going to happen at some point!

Thai's are just soo ignorant at times! No manners, whatsoever!

Hope she recovers soon!!

I guess you never tried to take public "metro" in Paris. Rush hour or not, it make the Thais seem like the gentlest people to be 'racing' for the door with.

I remember taking the bus in China, and that was just a happy but nonetheless serious pushing fight. Fists not allowed, but still, a fight.

[Paul123456]

I use the train everyday, and the way Thai's just push pass you to make sure they get on before you, this kind of thing was always going to happen at some point!

Thai's are just soo ignorant at times! No manners, whatsoever!

Hope she recovers soon!!

The way SOME Thais and SOME foreigners push and act - it is disgusting and selfish and in this case nearly killed someone.

But I also note that I have found many extremely polite people, particularly in this country.

This greedy pushing and jumping in front of others in lines, in my experience is something that is happening more and more in Thailand - it is a great shame and I would love to see some more public action to promote better behaviour.

But Craig's: Thais this and that, ignorant, no manners blah blah - I disagree. But do agree, that in Thai society manners and considerate behaviour, which once was of great importance, is now falling away

[granuaile]

Thai's are just soo ignorant at times! No manners, whatsoever!

Excuse me? Did you say Thais are so ignorant and no manners? I'm not Thai but I call your comment foul, uncalled-for. For all I know Thais relatively polite people, wherever you go, inside the train, in the bus, everywhere, with few exceptions like this train incident where you based your inappropriate comment.

Craig said "AT TIMES". You did not read that, did you? And have you been in Thailand at all or just read about the Land of Smiles in brochures and tourist books? And you say that "For all I know thais are always polite". Yeah right. You do not speak thai so you don't know what they say about you. If you were here, that is.

Someone in my old soi referred to me as a fat fish. So what? If they had known I could understand they probably would not have said it. But far more gave me hugs and offered me a drink coming in at night. And people have said far worse about me in the US than "fat fish." And I am here.

Granuaile

[theoldgit]

I use the train everyday, and the way Thai's just push pass you to make sure they get on before you, this kind of thing was always going to happen at some point!

Thai's are just so ignorant at times! No manners, whatsoever!

I am always impressed by the orderly lines at the station but note that as soon as the doors open it's like the red lights have gone off at the start of a F1 race, it's everyone for themselves with most people fighting to get on the train first.

I commuted on the London Underground for years and my experience was that it wasn't very different, save they dispensed with niceties of the queue.

[travelinthai]

Hmmm, whichever way you interpret it, it is almost correct...she was ushed...could be rushed, hushed, ushered...anyway, whatever, she made it to hospital despite the fractured English

hit by other skytrain passenger

during the rush hours

was ushed

was waiting for riding the train

other passenger scrambled for accessing the train

The economy must be pretty bad if newspapers have fired all their editors.

so happy to have a spelling expert on board, you must be really high on the totem pole to criticize others

[sunsamourai]

Now I simply plow HEAD-ON into those who are blocking the doors -- love the astonished 'how dare you' looks I get. Then bloody get out of the way!

At least I am not (YET) stooping to what one Thai-fluent friend does: in Thai, he says to them, "Did you leave the jungle yesterday, lady?!?"

no wonder the Thais can't appreciate farangs living here with this kind of morons hanging around.

get a life.

Tell your friend to get one too.

[travelinthai]

I use the train everyday, and the way Thai's just push pass you to make sure they get on before you, this kind of thing was always going to happen at some point!

Thai's are just soo ignorant at times! No manners, whatsoever!

Hope she recovers soon!!

I agree. My experience has been this also. Pushing/shoving/inconsideration for other i.e. like a herd of buffalo. At times it's a challenge exiting the train, bus,elevator etc. b/c the ???? herd does not realize or care that other individuals are wanting to exit. Is this poor upbringing? Or just a general lack of concern for other - oh with the exception of their family/boss. And people constantly bump into others who might want to "share" the same sidewalk etc. GEEZE.

Keoki

and to top it off, the mules inside, instead of moving over to the other side to let more people in, just stand and act dumb.

[mauiguy90]

Hope that she recovers quickly! Kudos to the security for apparently taking quick action to prevent further injury!

In general, especially during rush hours, few people observe the rules including foreigners. I'm used to getting off the train and having thai people block the way but recently, I've seen a lot of farang blocking exit from the trains. Seems like the every man for himself instinct is taking over nowadays! If that's the case, look for more incidents and injuries to follow...

[Wolfie]

Just as a polite reminder to all posters, please remember the Forum rules you all agreed to when you joined the forums, especially the item highlighted below.

8) Not to post extremely negative views of Thailand or derogatory comments directed towards all Thais.

I'm sure we can continue this discussion keeping in mind the rules, Thanks

[granuaile]

Thai's are just soo ignorant at times! No manners, whatsoever!

Excuse me? Did you say Thais are so ignorant and no manners? I'm not Thai but I call your comment foul, uncalled-for. For all I know Thais relatively polite people, wherever you go, inside the train, in the bus, everywhere, with few exceptions like this train incident where you based your inappropriate comment.

I agree with the posters comments that Thai's are generally ignorant and have no manners, this is based on 5 years of riding the skytrain daily. If you don't believe this try getting on the skytrain at On nut at 7.30am [...].

If mass transit here - including the BTS - is so terrible and the people are so rude, why do the people complaining stay here. I'm here because I love Thailand and I want to learn more about Thai language and culture. I'm not here to make a bundle of money. I'm not here to exploit people (for profit or other things). I'm here because Thailand is a wonderful place with a wonderful culture. As for the mass transit system, coming from the rural US here makes me appreciate it. When you have limited or no public transit (even the Greyhound didn't come near where I lived) I appreciate the options here - BTS, MRT, buses, public van services,.... and I appreciate my Thai friends, who have met me at the airport, helped me learn my way around, assisted in negotiating rents, and even on one occasion invited me to stay in their one-room unit. My feeling is that people who don't like Thailand or the Thai have an option. No one forces them to be here. And it is generally a lot easier for Westerners to come to Thailand, often on false pretenses, than it is for Thai to go to Western countries.

I am grateful I have access to the BTS, MRT, and other transit, and I am appreciative of the Thai people.

Granuaile

[ianh68]

I commuted on the London Underground for years and my experience was that it wasn't very different, save they dispensed with niceties of the queue.

After several incidents on the London Underground over the years of unbalanced people deliberately pushing total strangers on to the tracks, I decided the safest way was always to stand facing the oncoming train.

[NowImEasy]

I learn more of life in thailand by reading TV than traveling around, visiting refugee camps, leper colonies, and my family in Burirum. TV contributors can be erudite and witty, but often are bitter old men who appear to hate themselves. I mean, why sit at the keyboard and criticise Thailand, her people, her culture? Don't like it? Just go someplace else. I think that Thailand is one of the most civilized countries on earth. Every country has their own ignoramises. I was just surprised that noone criticized George Bush for the BTS incident.

[ReeBkk]

Thai's are just soo ignorant at times! No manners, whatsoever!

Excuse me? Did you say Thais are so ignorant and no manners? I'm not Thai but I call your comment foul, uncalled-for. For all I know Thais relatively polite people, wherever you go, inside the train, in the bus, everywhere, with few exceptions like this train incident where you based your inappropriate comment.

How long have you been here mate? 2 weeks?? Time will see you change your opinion on that especially in bkk.

And how long have you been here mate? 10 years? Must of been a while to make such a generalized derogatory statement. Thai's are culturally different, not ignorant and certainly not without manners.

Que jumping in Thailand is not the civil crime it is back in the west, and this works both ways - ever been rush to the front of a cue for no apparent reason?

But as for as getting on a train goes, its the same here as the rest of the world, Japan, NY, London, Singapore, KL, same deal mate, push push shove, me first.

Anyways, good luck to the injured party, hope she recovers quick.

[exalll]

And adding to the debate on Manners Re BTS, I find it quite uncomfortable seeing the men on the BTS/MRT who do not give their seats up for ladies - even for old ladies. In fact I have become quite fascinated by the way they (deliberately?) seem to avoid looking at the ladies. Watch them next time you travel!!! One traditional foreigner good manner worth importing.

OK, I let pass all the comments about Thais being more rude than Americans or Europeans in getting on/off transportation, even though my opinion (based on 5 years here, 5 years in NYC, and lots of visits elsewhere) is that they are at least as polite as others

... but the idea that they are less polite in offering seats is nonsense. In the large majority of cases, Thais of both sexes will immediately give up their seats to elderly men and women, those travelling with small chidren, and those who are obviously inform. Furthermore, Thailand is the only country where I have ever had someone with a seat, even a stranger on occasion, offering to hold my bag when I am forced to stand.