BTS skytrain faces backlash amid assault allegations
Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc (BTSC), responsible for the operation of the city’s Skytrain services, refuted allegations concerning lax safety measures following an assault on a woman at the Kheha station on Wednesday, May 8.
The Chief Operating Officer of BTSC, Sumit Srisantum, clarified that their security personnel were quick to react as soon as they were alerted by an observant bystander about the suspect, known only as Suthat, behaving indecently on the escalator. Contradicting the claims of BTSC’s slow response, Sumit stated that the suspect was first noticed at roughly 9.38am, and the assault happened a mere 33 seconds later.
By 9.39am, security officers were present at the scene, barely a minute after the incident. However, the suspect managed to evade them. A security guard returned to the assault location by 9.40am to assist the victim and report the incident to the police.
The suspect was apprehended within hours, a fact announced at a press conference at 4pm the same day. Sumit credited the swift arrest to the vigilance of the security guard and the utilisation of CCTV cameras installed at the Skytrain stations. There are approximately 4,500 cameras installed across 60 stations on the Green and Gold lines.
The suspect, 26 years old, later confessed to the police that he was under the influence of drugs at the time of the incident.
The victim, who works near the location of the assault, stated that despite her cries for help, assistance only arrived when another passenger reached the top of the escalator, frightening off the attacker.
In a subsequent development, the victim and her family met Police Colonel Nopphadon Changruean, chief of Mueang district police, to receive updates on the case. The victim confessed to fearing stepping outside alone now, and her faith in the city’s Skytrain system has been severely shattered, reported Bangkok Post.
