(Thailand, 9th) — November 5th is the traditional Thai festival 'Loy Krathong', during which Thai people make lotus-shaped floating lanterns out of banana leaves, fresh flowers, candles and incense, and set them adrift on rivers or lakes. Some even place cut nails, hair, or coins on the lanterns, symbolizing letting go of the past year's mistakes. However, this year's Loy Krathong festival in Bangkok's Bang Mot district saw a man and his friend rescue a drowning 5-year-old girl from a canal, unexpectedly exposing a case of family child abuse.
According to Thai media outlet Thaiger, the main figure in this incident is a young owner of a motorcycle shop in Bang Mot. On the day of Loy Krathong, he and his friends visited a nearby temple and happened to see a 5-year-old little girl dangerously climbing down to the canal. Despite the shop owner and his friend warning her that it was dangerous, the girl stubbornly clung to the edge of the canal wanting to retrieve coins from a lantern, and soon fell into the water.
Fortunately, because the owner and his friend had been watching her closely, they immediately rescued her. The frightened little girl, soaking wet after being pulled ashore, burst into tears on the bank — the cries attracting a woman. At first, bystanders thought she was the girl's mother, but instead of comforting the crying girl, the woman loudly scolded her and ordered her to go home at once.
At this moment, the girl's older sister, who had been collecting coins at the other end of the canal, hurried over after hearing the commotion. When she tried to comfort her younger sister, the woman struck her in the face, blaming her for not taking care of her sibling. It was only when witnesses at the scene could no longer tolerate the situation and stepped in to intervene that the woman stopped and left with the two girls, all the while continuing her verbal abuse.
The kind-hearted motorcycle shop owner, deeply concerned by what he witnessed, quietly followed the two sisters home with his friend, only to discover their living conditions were extremely poor. By speaking to neighboring residents, they learned that the girls' parents were serving jail sentences for crimes, and the sisters were being looked after by a man who claimed to be the girls’ father's younger brother. However, he and his wife treated the girls very cruelly.
Several neighbors reported frequently seeing the couple publicly abusing the two sisters, and forcing them to go out and sell orange juice; if they didn't sell everything, they would be severely beaten when they returned home.
Afterwards, the shop owner not only shared this experience online but also proactively reported the case to local police and government agencies, hoping to help fight for the rights of the children. Bang Mot district police later summoned the couple for questioning and warned them to stop the abuse. Ultimately, the two suffering sisters were placed in the care of their grandmother. The relevant government departments promised to continue monitoring the sisters and to provide continued support and assistance as needed.