A state bus driver was fined and had his license suspended after forcing a family of four off the bus in the middle of Sunday night, because their 1-year-old toddler was crying too loudly.
In a story that pulled the heartstrings of Thai people, Mongkol Thongboran, his wife, and their two sons were traveling from Bangkok to Koh Samui when they were dumped by a bus crew at a gas station midway along the route with four pieces of suitcases and barely enough money to rent a room for the night.
The story came to light when a fellow passenger on the bus posted about the evicted family on Facebook, shaming Transport Co., the state-run bus company, for their mistreatment of the passengers.
Mongkol told Thairath that his youngest son was crying loudly, but only for about 30 minutes. When other passengers on the bus asked him if the child was sick, Mongkol told them that it was his son’s first long bus ride and the others did not seem to mind.
However, Mongkol claimed that a bus attendant, who said he was trying to get some sleep, told his family to leave the bus because his son’s crying disturbed other passengers.
Mongkol said it was a rough night for the family, and they were left with only THB25 cash (US$0.77) after paying for a room and food for their sons. His wife was so traumatized by the incident that she cried.
In the morning, the family called a relative in Koh Samui and asked them to transfer money to their bank account, so they could pay for train fare.
Mongkol said that he wanted officials to take action against the bus company because he doesn’t want other families with small children to experience the same treatment.
Worakit Chaichana, head of the Suratthani Land Transport Department, said that they fined the driver on duty THB5,000 (US$155) for neglecting passengers and suspended his license for one month. The bus crew may also face further disciplinary action.
Meanwhile, bus attendant Wanchai Kaeocharoen claimed he told the family get off because the boy had cried continuously for a long time, and he assumed the child was afraid of the dark or gotten sick, so the driver dropped them off at the motel to get some rest.
The transport office also compensated the family with THB4,740 (US$147) for the accommodation plus train and ferry fares, Channel 8 News reported.
They reportedly arrived in Koh Samui on Monday night.
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