Foreigner Assaulted At Bangkok BTS Station By Security Guard - Police Launch Investigation

[beerchang]

It gives a whole new meaning to going clubbing in Bangkok!

On a serious note, it does worry me on the level of gratuitous violence that I am now reading about by Thais on farangs.

Judging from Thai news (TV and print), and even the dramas on TV, Thais are a very physically violent people. Sometimes non-thais are on the receiving end.

Yea them bloody violent Thais! Did you sehe vid? See that little violent Thai trying to get the placid farang away. I should go back to my own country. No violent people there. Bloody 'ell!

[KunMatt]

The video starts with him having already been assaulted and severely bleeding and from that point he is just trying to get through the BTS, away from the guard and onto the platform. He only pushes back when he is cornered by several guards.

The fact is, him and his large friend could've torn that short guard to pieces between them, and given that the guy had already been dealt a potentially lethal blow to the head I think the two farangs show great restraint from what the video shows. If his only crime is trying to carry some balloons onto the skytrain, given the level and range and crimes that are constantly in your face in this city, is it any surprise he thought it wouldnt be a problem?

Disrespectful farang or undermined jobsworth guard? Its just speculation at this point. Chances are we will never know the truth. If the farang comes out with his side of the story I would be more inclined to believe it though.

Anybody who lives here knowing the tolerance for very serious crimes everywhere you look and still thinks that this guy deserves a beating in front of his family for trying to carry some balloons onto the BTS seriously needs to re-check their moral compass.

Which video were you watching? The video starts with him trying to get into the BTS where the guards were. He then pushed through the guards to try to get to the platform. They guards were trying to stop him because he was disregarding the rules about taking balloons on the train.

Yes and the whole time he is just trying to get through the turnstile and to the platform, he is not trying to fight the guard, he is trying to quickly get away with his family but they keep pulling him back and then they corner him at which point he starts to push the guard who (I assume) assaulted him with a weapon.

[whybother]

Yes and the whole time he is just trying to get through the turnstile and to the platform, he is not trying to fight the guard, he is trying to quickly get away with his family but they keep pulling him back and then they corner him at which point he starts to push the guard who (I assume) assaulted him with a weapon.

<deleted>. He's been told that he's not allowed to go on the train with the balloons!!! He's ignoring the guards and they are trying to stop him.

[Petesear]

I'm not sure about you but if someone had just smacked me round the head with something, necessary or otherwise, I'd be a tad angry too..

[whybother]

Can anyone explain why he was hit with the metal detector BEFORE he entered the turnstiles??

[F1fanatic]

Can anyone explain why he was hit with the metal detector BEFORE he entered the turnstiles??

We won't know until the CCTV footage is released.

[ARISTIDE]

It's so sad to see many comment on Mthai about what they think about many Farangs exercise racial superiority in Thailand. Most comments on the Thai forum lean toward the farang in question not respecting Thai law. There are many nice people regardless farang or Thai. I hate to see racial segregation in this society as it is unfair to the good Farang and the good Thai.

[robertson468]

It gives a whole new meaning to going clubbing in Bangkok!

On a serious note, it does worry me on the level of gratuitous violence that I am now reading about by Thais on farangs.

I feel your analysis of the situation is rather skewered. The Guy was apparently told by an official he could not bring the balloons on the train. The fact that he had been allowed to do so previously has marginal bearing on the matter. The Foreigner clearly became quite aggressive and even his friend had a problem restraining him.

Edited March 22, 2012 by robertson468

[KunMatt]

Yes and the whole time he is just trying to get through the turnstile and to the platform, he is not trying to fight the guard, he is trying to quickly get away with his family but they keep pulling him back and then they corner him at which point he starts to push the guard who (I assume) assaulted him with a weapon.

<deleted>. He's been told that he's not allowed to go on the train with the balloons!!! He's ignoring the guards and they are trying to stop him.

Oh my God BALLOONS!!! Hang him and then shoot him, or just smash him over the head with a heavy metal device and give him brain damage, he deserves the worst that he gets, right?

[eagleflyinghigh]

In a first world country the passenger would be fairly tried for whatever he would be alleged having done. This could be property damage (trash bin), staff assault (verbal or physical).

In the same first world country the passenger would also sue with success the guard, security firm and train operator for the injury due to the inappropriate use of force in a potentially dangerous and life threatening manner.

Here in Thailand all parties at the end will agree with an arrangement to avoid face loss, but being a foreigner involved, this foreigner will probably be the looser as the problem would never have occured without him being in Thailand

Never forget: You have no rights here if you are not Thai. And Thais are deeply racist, but happilly get in our days abroad what they deserve.

Edited March 22, 2012 by eagleflyinghigh

[daninthai]

All I see is a loser trying to get away with not obeying the law and then complaining after he is hit. Why do these people think they are above the law? What if every passanger carried a shed load of baloons on the BTS? Think HE might complain about that? I sure would.

Just another idiot teaching his children how to grow up and disobey the laws and also how to become an intollerable moron.

These security guards are hired to sustain the laws governing the BTS rules and regulations and are issued batons for a reason, not just to have them hanging on there side. If they allowed EVERY person to break the rules the same way this muppet did then the BTS would be even more hell-ish then they already are don't you think?

Are baloons any different to a pipe bomb? No, not when you don't know what they are filled with. I for one am on the side of the poor security gaurd and thing the farang should be banned from using the system if he can't follow simple rules.

PS: I don't know why the BTS would give this loser 1 cetang !!!!!!

Well said..And the job of this guy is "teacher" lol ..I feel sorry for the little girl..and i am not saying that he deserved to be hit...probably paying the bad karma of 1000 arrogant foreigners

What's wrong with being a 'teacher'?? Something funny there?

You can't pay someone else's Karma... everyone knows that.

[daninthai]

This about a violent individual (ie the farang) who doesn't want to follow the rules, and about a guard who is trying to do his job.

Has anyone seen any video about how the farang got the blow to the head? Given the aggressive way the farang was acting, and the way he was trying to push through the guards when they were just trying to tell him he wasn't allowed on with the balloons, I wouldn't be surprised if it was his fault that he got the blow to the head.

His job isn't to hit people in the head with a metal detector if they have too many balloons.

And yes the father is aggressive, because someone just clobbered him in the head with a metal detector because he had too many balloons and there is blooding streaming down his face. The response of a BTS rent a cop to someone having too many balloons isn't to start battering them on the head when they don't listen to you. The guy wasn't even past the turnstile yet when he was attacked.

It's their job to stop people getting on the train with things that are prohibited.

How hard is it to understand?

Would it have been ok for security to kill the guy? What about knock him unconscious? Cut him up a little? Maybe a black eye? There are limits to the amount of violence they are legally allowed to use. In this case they probably overstepped that limit and are at fault, which is why compensation is being paid.

[whybother]

Yes and the whole time he is just trying to get through the turnstile and to the platform, he is not trying to fight the guard, he is trying to quickly get away with his family but they keep pulling him back and then they corner him at which point he starts to push the guard who (I assume) assaulted him with a weapon.

<deleted>. He's been told that he's not allowed to go on the train with the balloons!!! He's ignoring the guards and they are trying to stop him.

Oh my God BALLOONS!!! Hang him and then shoot him, or just smash him over the head with a heavy metal device and give him brain damage, he deserves the worst that he gets, right?

It's irrelevant what they were. He was told he wasn't allowed to take them on, and he ignored it.

He is not trying to fight the guard. He is just ignoring his instructions. Where do you draw the line?

Edited March 22, 2012 by whybother

[whybother]

Would it have been ok for security to kill the guy? What about knock him unconscious? Cut him up a little? Maybe a black eye? There are limits to the amount of violence they are legally allowed to use. In this case they probably overstepped that limit and are at fault, which is why compensation is being paid.

Seeing as no one has seen how or why he got a cut eye, it's hard to say anything about who overstepped what.

[JimsKnight]

All I see is an arrogant, deranged baldy farang with his poor look keung kid being dragged around while the father just shows himself and up for being a gobby prat.

Farang coming into Thailand are some of the lowest of the low nowadays. All the decent ones are few and far between imo.

[beerchang]

Yes and the whole time he is just trying to get through the turnstile and to the platform, he is not trying to fight the guard, he is trying to quickly get away with his family but they keep pulling him back and then they corner him at which point he starts to push the guard who (I assume) assaulted him with a weapon.

<deleted>. He's been told that he's not allowed to go on the train with the balloons!!! He's ignoring the guards and they are trying to stop him.

Oh my God BALLOONS!!! Hang him and then shoot him, or just smash him over the head with a heavy metal device and give him brain damage, he deserves the worst that he gets, right?

Brain damage!!!!!!

[AngryParent]

The guy wasn't even past the turnstile yet when he was attacked.

Very good observation.

That does kind of make it look worse for the Thais i.e. he had not broken any rules YET but he was assaulted to the extent of having blood gushing from his head and all bloody.

To be honest, if I was bashed over the head, dazzed and confused with a little kid and wife and dressed VERY professionally (not tattoed and not looking like a bar bum), I would probably just want to go home and the brain would be saying home is reached by using my daily route (the BTS)!

Just outside the gates he does not look like a raging bull - he is not jumping over the gates and charging the security guards (he takes much time and goes through slowly)! Nor does he look such later either. I think he is being falsely accused of being a thug.

Probably with concussion, he sees the people blocking his way as a gang of violent people that are trying to stop him - and they are violent as proven! He just wants to get past and go on his way.

BTS officials told the foreigner he had to abandon the balloons if he wants to go on the train but he refused, saying that he was let on the BTS with the balloons earlier in the day.

As one poster mentioned, there are no signs that say ballons are NOT allowed. And as he claims he came through earlier in the day, one can understand how he may have thought the security guards were being biased,, making up a new rule, and acting weird or even anti-farang. Earlier allowed and now not - changing and unwritten policy? How many of us get irritated when it appears people are trying to cause us grief when it is UNWRITTEN?

And as for the policy, for all we know it might have been made up after this incident to protect the guards! There is little evidence about ballons - the guards are not shown to be snatching the ballons, his friend does not at any time act like the ballons are the issue (by taking them). Nor does the peaceful THAI wife act like this is the problem by trying to take them or stop him because of ballons.

I could go on....

Edited March 22, 2012 by AngryParent

[FangFerang]

Farang come here and expect to be treated like royalty. I was in Nakon Ratchisima and a farang yelled at the top of his lungs at a waitress. "Iv'e asked you for the salt twice now! I won't ask again!" Then he turned to his mates and said, "You have to know how to talk to these peasants."

The Thai waitress did not understand English, but understood his belligerent tone well enough. I had just paid my bill at the Jolly frog--really good really cheap food to boot!

The table behind him was in reach, and had salt and pepper shakers on it. I walked over. Knocked on the table so he turned, and pointed at the shakers. He was still swearing and I was still laughing as I walked out.

Unlike the smug punter, I left a tip.

[KunMatt]

Yes and the whole time he is just trying to get through the turnstile and to the platform, he is not trying to fight the guard, he is trying to quickly get away with his family but they keep pulling him back and then they corner him at which point he starts to push the guard who (I assume) assaulted him with a weapon.

<deleted>. He's been told that he's not allowed to go on the train with the balloons!!! He's ignoring the guards and they are trying to stop him.

Oh my God BALLOONS!!! Hang him and then shoot him, or just smash him over the head with a heavy metal device and give him brain damage, he deserves the worst that he gets, right?

It's irrelevant what they were. He was told he wasn't allowed to take them on, and he ignored it.

He is not trying to fight the guard. He is just ignoring his instructions. Where do you draw the line?

You said it exactly right "its irrelevant what they are", the guard is making an issue out of nothing. Considering that you can buy 10" hunting knives, swords, mace, replica guns etc, on the street as you are walking into the BTS do you really think this guard gives a flying screw about this guy carrying more than his allowed quota of balloons??

It is about somebody (probably both parties) pushing their authority too far and the use of excessive potentially deadly force which is what you are defending and saying is just.

[metisdead]

Some posts regarding balloons as bombs and other comparisons are becoming a bit hyperbolic. Some posts have been removed.

[hedonist44]

If you look at the video, he was already bleeding while he was on the other side of the gates, where no security guard is present.

On top of that, he does seem like an aggressive a-hole.

Seeing how the guy seemed to want to punch the security guard, if I were the BTS guy, I would have clubbed him in the head as well.

But, as always, the farang apologetist/"thais hate farangs" brigade will soon swarm this topic.

The assault had already occureed before the start of that video. Of course he was pissed off after that, how would you act?

+1.

[JohnAllan]

In common with too many Thais, these guards are all too ready to use a weapon, in this case, a baton. Why they need a baton at all, heaven only knows. Exactly what training do they receive for this job as a security guard? What wonderful motivational talk are they 'listening' to when lining up in front of their supervisor before starting their shift?

And if balloons are not permitted on the BTS, why are mountain bikes? Why are Thais carrying an inordinate amount of boxes, that then take up standing room for two, or more, passengers, allowed to board? What about tourists - and others - with two, or more, oversized rucksacks, that threaten to assault anyone within reach?

Of course, had the BTS board displayed slightly less incompetence than they are normally wont to do, they might have ordered the extra carriages for the Sukhumvit line much earlier than is the case, meaning at least more space to accommodate the above at some times of the day.

[daninthai]

If this was the US, the guy would still be feeling the effects of the stun guns and pepper spray if not still recuperating in the in the hospital from injuries while handcuffed to a jail bed .

That doesn't excuse Thailand. It just says something terrible about the US.

[ScouseTommy]

Seriously all over a few balloons? I think the force was a bit over the top, but why would he act like that in front of his young daughter, great example for her!

[jonclark]

In the video above, I don't see the security guard hitting the foreignor with a baton. However, if the guard did hit him with a baton, that guard should be fired and even possibly charged with assault. There is no reason for violence over a few balloons, especially when the foreigner is with his little daughter. Geeez, what is it with some of these security guards who are on some type of power trip!

And you believe he may have hit him "because of balloons" for what reason? If you are told you cannot enter the BTS because you have balloons (which is the rules) and you refuse to obey these rules and lawful demands to not enter .. do you really believe security doesn't have the right to use force to prevent entry and defend themselves from physical aggression by someone trying to force their way onto the BTS illegally?

Nisa your post smack of arrogance and racism.The tone of your post clearly indocters that you think Thais are right - even when clealy the guard is at fault. The only ones who have the legal right to physically assault people are the police. Unless the BTS training manual has a special section on using a metal detector as a weapon???

[Jasonbleibtreu]

BTS has a rule no balloons. This is very clear. I almost got into a similar situation when it was my sons birthday. I was in a hurry, had balloons and was stopped. I nearly went balistic. I seriously thought about taking on the BTS guard. However I kept my cool and explained that I was just passing through the station and not taking the train. This is an unfortunate event and hopefully the BTS system will relax their no balloon rule.

Edited March 22, 2012 by metisdead
There is no need to post using bold fonts. Fonts reset.

[JimsKnight]

Its not very clear on the video what happen actually ... I will say ..those security guard act like if they were policeman (come on they are only "guard" LOL) and maybe the foreigner was disturb by the heat and the baloons of the kid. Miscommunication for sure as those guards hardly speak english. I dont think its necessary to publish this kind of stuff no ?

Don't know if you are aware but every time you step onto the BTS 'zone' you are under the guards jurisdiction.

There's a big list of 'rules' at the entrance area's to the BTS. I and many farang carry pepper spray wherever we go.

One of the rules of the BTS is 'no weapons' apart from cops and guards.

Thankfully because this is Thailand the BTS is very laissez-faire about enforcing it, they want to keep the farang happy and not be like the draconian west.

But with idiots like baldy with his balloons we might see the them start to crack down with mandatory searches etc.

[whybother]

You said it exactly right "its irrelevant what they are", the guard is making an issue out of nothing. Considering that you can buy 10" hunting knives, swords, mace, replica guns etc, on the street as you are walking into the BTS do you really think this guard gives a flying screw about this guy carrying more than his allowed quota of balloons??

It is about somebody (probably both parties) pushing their authority too far and the use of excessive potentially deadly force which is what you are defending and saying is just.

I am not defending the farang being hit ... but I haven't seen how that happened.

The guard is following the rules. I have seen on many occasions where people were not allowed on with balloons.

I am defending the guards trying to stop him from going up to the platform with the balloons.

[sparebox2]

As hydrogen is cheaper than helium, most ballon in Thailand are filled with hydrogen.

Obvious, to save cost.

[KunMatt]

In the video above, I don't see the security guard hitting the foreignor with a baton. However, if the guard did hit him with a baton, that guard should be fired and even possibly charged with assault. There is no reason for violence over a few balloons, especially when the foreigner is with his little daughter. Geeez, what is it with some of these security guards who are on some type of power trip!

And you believe he may have hit him "because of balloons" for what reason? If you are told you cannot enter the BTS because you have balloons (which is the rules) and you refuse to obey these rules and lawful demands to not enter .. do you really believe security doesn't have the right to use force to prevent entry and defend themselves from physical aggression by someone trying to force their way onto the BTS illegally?

Nisa your post smack of arrogance and racism.The tone of your post clearly indocters that you think Thais are right

New to the board?? Read his post history; it is just a journal of how Thais can do no wrong and all farangs are pure evil.