Thai boy attacked with tennis ball by classmate, sustains serious eye injury
Parents fear lasting eye injury as son faces lifelong risk of glaucoma
A Thai mother condemned an international school in Bangkok for their lack of action after a foreign classmate allegedly threw a tennis ball at her 12 year old son’s eye, leaving him at risk of developing glaucoma.
The mother, identified as Sai, filed a complaint with Wang Thonglang Police Station on Wednesday, October 29, accompanied by her lawyer. She accused the school of negligence for allowing the foreign boy to continue studying there after the violent assault, which took place on October 1.
Sai said her son had been studying at the school for only 20 days, having transferred from another international school to improve his Chinese language skills. She claimed to have seen CCTV footage of the incident and was confident that the attack was intentional.
The footage reportedly showed the victim sitting at his desk using a laptop when the foreign classmate threw a tennis ball that struck him directly in the right eye, causing serious injuries.
Sai insisted that her son and the classmate didn’t know each other well, nor did they have any prior conflict, as he recently joined the school.
According to a report by Workpoint News, the school carried out an internal investigation and found that the confrontation started earlier that morning.
The suspect admitted to asking the victim to move to another position during the morning assembly. Although the victim agreed to avoid confrontation, the attacker allegedly continued to target him once they were in the classroom.
Medical reports revealed that the injured boy might require lifelong treatment and faces a risk of developing glaucoma. His right eye still bleeds occasionally, though he continues to attend school since his tuition fees were paid in advance, and other international schools do not accept mid-term transfers.
Sai expressed disappointment that the attacker was only moved to another class instead of being expelled. She said she is still waiting for the school to clarify how it intends to handle the case. She is still deciding whether she will take legal action against the school or not.
Workpoint News reported that the school offered one semester of free tuition, but the family declined, saying the school’s response was still unclear.
Meanwhile, the attacker’s father proposed a compensation payment of 400,000 baht, which the family also refused.
Police at Wang Thonglang Station confirmed they are awaiting the medical report before calling both parties for mediation.
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