TWO disabled persons who were traveling to Chiang Mai with 6 other colleagues and were not allowed to board a low-cost flight appealed to the human rights commission that the staff had harassed and threatened them, Sanook.com reported today (Oct. 12).
Mr Suphawat Samerphak and Miss Sawaluck Thongkuay, who are members of a sexual discrimination arbitration committee and both wheelchair bound, told Mrs Angkana Neelaphaichit, head of the National Human Rights Commission, that a famous low-cost airline had used bad language and violated their rights by saying they were disabled and could not take care of themselves.
The incident occurred last Friday October 6, 2017 where the 8 of them reached the airport to board the flight to Chiang Mai for which they had already purchased tickets.
However this airline’s staff said they could not let them board the flight because they were not accompanied by relatives even though Suphawat’s assistant was among the 8 of them flying together.
The captain was asked whether the two of them could fly on this flight but he also said no.
The two of them then went and bought tickets at another airline but 3 to 4 staff members of the first airline followed them to this counter and raised a question about selling air tickets to the disabled because they might not be allowed to board the flight. However they flew on this flight without any problems.
Sawaluck said she was displeased with this because the staff had used bad language and violated her rights.
Suphawat said he agreed to not board the flight because a famous airline usually refunds tickets but they only agreed to refund his ticket not that of his assistant and this to be done in 45 days’ time.
Ankhana said the committee had already considered this issue against this particular airline and will now be calling its executives in to question what happened and resolve the problem.
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Top: Wheelchair-bound Mr Suphawat and Miss Sawaluck complaining to the National Human Rights Committee. Photo: Sanook.com
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