Disabled Boy, 12, Beaten Unconscious by Three Older Students
A 12-year-old disabled boy in Udon Thani was beaten unconscious by three older students on June 23, with the assault captured on video that went viral on social media. The school denied having working CCTV footage and pressured the family t
A mother is devastated after her 12-year-old disabled son was attacked and beaten unconscious by three Grade 7 students at their school in Nong Han District, Udon Thani Province on the evening of June 23. The incident was captured on video and sparked outrage on social media. The boy, identified as "A" (pseudonym), suffers from a disability affecting his walking ability since birth and was knocked unconscious during the assault. When he regained consciousness, the three older students continued to surround and intimidate him.
The mother, Ms. Dao (pseudonym), 34, rushed back from Bangkok after learning of the attack. She described her son as disoriented and terrified, refusing to return to school due to fear of further violence and threats that the older students would harm his elderly grandparents. She expressed heartbreak over the incident, particularly because her son is disabled and vulnerable. When she requested CCTV footage from the school, officials claimed cameras were malfunctioning and unable to record. The school also pressured the grandmother to delete the viral video.
During a local mediation attempt, the attackers' parents demanded 30,000 baht per person in damages, with an additional 10,000 baht from whoever recorded the video. They later reduced this to 5,000 baht per person, but eventually only offered 1,000 baht each, which the family rejected. The mother appealed for understanding and called on the school to better protect students, expressing her belief that schools should be safe spaces. The grandmother also expressed her distress, noting she has never beaten or harmed her four grandchildren and questioned why the school appeared to be covering up the truth rather than pursuing justice.
