Boy, 12, stood on a pier 'laughing' as two girls he kicked into Bangkok canal drowned

[2fishin2]

I taught my wife and step kids to swim...or at least stay afloat...!

They (Thais) are terrified/afraid of the water as they are told from day one "bogey men" and "ghosts" live there and they will meet a horrible fate... Clearly an attempt to keep unsupervised kids away...

I've yet to meet a Thai that can swim...

You must be sarcastic. Millions of Thais can swim.

[HLover]

I taught my wife and step kids to swim...or at least stay afloat...!

They (Thais) are terrified/afraid of the water as they are told from day one "bogey men" and "ghosts" live there and they will meet a horrible fate... Clearly an attempt to keep unsupervised kids away...

I've yet to meet a Thai that can swim...

What is the Thai word for "bogey men"?

Unless they are Cambodian, there seems to be many Thais at the beach swimming in Ko Samui this morning.

[vanillalatte]

I have seen many naughty or even crazy kids but nothing like this.Boy is not naughty,he is brain damaged #ithead and they should put him away,sooner - better.

[IAMHERE]

Don't tell me; this boy is a 'Red Bull' ?

[JHolmesJr]

Sounds like a thai version of 10 year old jon venables and robert thompson who killed the toddler james bulger.

Edited March 25, 2016 by JHolmesJr

[MyFriend You]

My son 7 year old son pushed his expensive drum kit over, swung a set of scissors at me, and then through something at our $1000 television.

Wife sat there looking at him smiling. Something seriously wrong with how children are taught to behave over there.

Time to man up and beat the hell out of him, next time the scissors will wind up in your chest.

[balo]

TIT what can you do to change it ? I am sure some parents are responsible here but we hear too many examples of the opposite.

[katana]

Thai newspapers are reporting this slightly differently.

Apparently, after kicking the girls into the water and laughing at the floundering girls , they nonetheless managed to stay close to the edge and hold onto it to save themselves. The boy then stamped on their hands to loosen their hold and kicked them away from the edge.

( read from Daily News online and Sanook .com )

More than just a prank gone wrong.

Tragic loss of two young lives.

Yes, the hand stamping was reported in Komchadluek as well.

When the father of the Thai girl (the other girl was Cambodian) arrived at the scene, he asked the boy why he did it, to which he replied "it was just a joke".

The Thai girl was kicked in first and when her Cambodian friend went to try and haul her up, she was shoved in too.

Edited March 25, 2016 by katana

[katana]

The school they all went to is Suraomai school which is located right next to the mosque.

https://www.facebook.com/suraomaischool

Edited March 25, 2016 by katana

[LannaGuy]

He didn't kill two girls, his daft stuff did...As a kid I did daft stuff, I can remember them now, but absolutely no intensions to kill my chums...

If you look at kids stuff that goes very wrong differently to me then that is our problem here.

I was a rascal kid, many were not, perhaps from a different era where kids were kids....Who knows...

I was no angel I can assure you and pushing the girls in, although 'bad', you could say was 'pranks gone daft' but stamping on her fingers as she clung on? that is beyond 'child pranks' and there has to be accountability. Responsibility, for anything, is sadly very low down the Thai 'best attributes' list.

RIP to those poor young girls an appalling loss of young life by, what it sounds to be, a young thug who the 'do gooders' will now come out and try and protect... the poor thing... he was only playing bla bla bla

Edited March 26, 2016 by LannaGuy

[Stargeezr]

I am Canadian, I grew up in B.C. on a farm, I never learned how to swim until

I was nearly 20 years old. We did not have a pool , pond, or nice river where I

grew up. This Thai boy was 12, not two. I have to wonder what he was thinking?

The girls were supposed to be his friends? Is this the way to treat your

friends? Something does not add up, and this foolish boy will have to live the rest of his

life with what he has done. I hope some others his age will learn from his foolishness, and

the senseless deaths of these two young girls. What a shame!

Geezer

Edited March 26, 2016 by Stargrazer9889

[Norvid 1950]

ASIAN PROBLEM. Most people do not know how to swim, despite hot climate, beautiful oceans, warm rivers, etc. Schools are inadequate, teachers.....? Curriculums....? Government programs....? All think about ....money.

[billd766]

Most Thai people cannot swim. Is this because swimming is only available to the rich? Not as far as I can see, there are many places to take your child swimming and for less that a hundred baht. Lots of schools have swimming classes. I don't understand why the majority can't swim. Is it the 'I don't want a suntan and have dark skin' that puts people off learning to swim?

It depends on where you live. Out here in rural Khampaeng Phet I know of only 1 swimming pool locally and that belongs to a resort and is 15 km away.

My son is 12 and has been to 3 junior schools, 1 was 15 km away and no pool, 1 was 60 km away but had a pool and the 3rd is 65km away with no pool. The school my neighbours granddaughter goes to is a junior school and has a small pool and that is 65km away.

To teach children to swim properly at school it needs a fairly large large pool and at least 3 full time swimming teachers plus part time staff. It also needs a full time maintenance crew of 2 or 3 to clean it every day and security to keep kids out after hours, weekends and holidays which is a fairly heavy cost.

You can get maybe 6 classes for 1 hour per day and 5 days per week which is only 30 classes and 1,200 kids for 1 hour a week.

3 full time swimming teachers plus the class teacher should be able to handle 1 class at a time.

The problem is where the money will come from.

[Heng]

Most Thai people cannot swim. Is this because swimming is only available to the rich? Not as far as I can see, there are many places to take your child swimming and for less that a hundred baht. Lots of schools have swimming classes. I don't understand why the majority can't swim. Is it the 'I don't want a suntan and have dark skin' that puts people off learning to swim?

I'd say the majority of government schools do not have swimming programs. It's more common in private schools (and private is certainly quite reasonable in terms of price compared to what most people think about private schools). As for public pools... what's that?

[Mosha]

I missed on the OP. Coconuts Bangkok mentions the girls were Cambodian, and that he stamped on the fingers of 1 of the girls as she tried to pull herself out.

Sent from my SMART_4G_Speedy_5inch using Tapatalk

[balo]

I missed on the OP. Coconuts Bangkok mentions the girls were Cambodian, and that he stamped on the fingers of 1 of the girls as she tried to pull herself out.

Sent from my SMART_4G_Speedy_5inch using Tapatalk

That explains a lot , a Cambodian life is not worth much in Thailand.

[mrfill]

Most Thai people cannot swim. Is this because swimming is only available to the rich? Not as far as I can see, there are many places to take your child swimming and for less that a hundred baht. Lots of schools have swimming classes. I don't understand why the majority can't swim. Is it the 'I don't want a suntan and have dark skin' that puts people off learning to swim?

It would spoil their hair style.

This is also the reason frequently offered for not wearing crash helmets on bikes.

[Thian]

Most Thai people cannot swim. Is this because swimming is only available to the rich? Not as far as I can see, there are many places to take your child swimming and for less that a hundred baht. Lots of schools have swimming classes. I don't understand why the majority can't swim. Is it the 'I don't want a suntan and have dark skin' that puts people off learning to swim?

It would spoil their hair style.

This is also the reason frequently offered for not wearing crash helmets on bikes.

Believe it or not but hairstyle is very vely important in Thailand.

Yesterday i was in the mall with my wife, everybody was looking/staring at me i noticed...the waiters even came to look at me many times, also other guests in the restaurant and outside of it. Then my wife asked me after an hour why is everybody looking at you? She also noticed it.

At home i looked in the mirror and then i knew it. That day i took a shower and drove motobike without helmet before we went to the mall. My hair looked like i just came from the barber where they had used a hairdryer on me. I also weared nice clothes, guess they thought i was a moviestar or so.

Looks are vely important in Thailand, it becomes another country if you dress up well.

[Bluespunk]

Does narcissism have a place in a tragedy such as this?

I just puked a little bit.

Edited March 26, 2016 by Bluespunk

[tominbkk]

Possible the boy is not all there mentally?

[pedro01]

In my mind I do not believe the boy had any intent to kill the girls. He was messing around and thought pushing them into the water was 'funny'. He gave no thought to the consequences. I remember growing up when 2 of my school mates got into fight and when the one boy went down he hit his head on the curb. He was dead. Neither had any intent to kill but the boy who struck the blow went to juvenile detention for years. What separates those who bully, act out and harass from those that don't?

I believe the answer is a combination of things that children learn or do not learn when growing up. Some schools teach children right and wrong and how to act as part of the community; some parents do teach their children right and wrong and social skills; some who have religious leanings use the clergy as role models and attend church or religious school where morality is taught. Unfortunately, some children grow up now with no guidance and get knowledge from television or a smart phone which is all based upon a presentation of societal interactions in a cold and unflattering light because that is what sells. I believe children growing up today are faced with so many risks and challenges that it is a miracle there are not more of these incidents. Children do not understand or see the consequences of their actions. Parents trying to work several jobs in order to survive have no time to teach their children. Schools are underfunded and do not teach ethics and social skills like they once did; and religion has become suspect due to all the unsavory actions of the clergy. Throw in easily obtainable alcohol and drugs and we are now seeing the results .

This young man will never forget what happened and his responsibility for it. I hope he turns out better than my schoolmate who inadvertently killed another boy in the fight- he eventually ended up in a life of crime and a life sentence in prison.

I disagree.

I think the boy is quite likely a sociopath. It is possible he feels no remorse whatsoever.

If so - you cannot blame the parents. Some people are simply wired wrong and do not experience love, hate, guilt, remorse.

Many of them get through life normally. Many of them end up as killers.

[up-country_sinclair]

I think the boy is quite likely a sociopath. It is possible he feels no remorse whatsoever.

Is that so, doctor? Thank you for sharing your professional diagnosis. Particularly when most Psychologists or Psychologists wouldn't dream on making a diagnosis without first actually meeting with the person in question.

By the way, it is equally possible that he is overwhelmed with remorse. You, doctor, have absolutely no idea what is feeling.

But please do carry on.

[pedro01]

I think the boy is quite likely a sociopath. It is possible he feels no remorse whatsoever.

Is that so, doctor? Thank you for sharing your professional diagnosis. Particularly when most Psychologists or Psychologists wouldn't dream on making a diagnosis without first actually meeting with the person in question.

By the way, it is equally possible that he is overwhelmed with remorse. You, doctor, have absolutely no idea what is feeling.

But please do carry on.

Oh dear, the self-righteous indignation of someone that can't actually read.

I didnt give a diagnosis, sweetheart. I merely pointed out that he was quite likely a sociopath.

Certainly he is more likely to be one than the many millions of Thai children that didnt murder two young girls this week.

[speedtripler]

My son 7 year old son pushed his expensive drum kit over, swung a set of scissors at me, and then through something at our $1000 television.

Wife sat there looking at him smiling. Something seriously wrong with how children are taught to behave over there.

i hope you kicked him around him around the house like a football .........

if i did something like that i wouldbnt forget about about the same day ....or week

[HLover]

Whoever was close enough to hear and see the boy laughing; they may have been close enough to render assistance to the 2 girls.

Terrible tragedy.

[Bluespunk]

My son 7 year old son pushed his expensive drum kit over, swung a set of scissors at me, and then through something at our $1000 television.

Wife sat there looking at him smiling. Something seriously wrong with how children are taught to behave over there.

i hope you kicked him around him around the house like a football .........

if i did something like that i wouldbnt forget about about the same day ....or week

You would kick a 7 year old around the house like a football?

[papa al]

...the girls will be re-incarnated soon so....