A video has been posted online of a child jumping off a bridge into a river in Kanchanaburi province.
The young boy is egged on by tourists who are willing to pay him 100 baht for the stunt. He jumps into the river far below as boats ply routes in the area.
The jumping was taking place at the Mon Bridge in Sangklaburi near the Burmese border in western Thailand.
Viewers online have expressed concern about the possible danger and they have asked the authorities to investigate.
Sanook said that authorities in the area told them that they were aware of this activity and that it was a daily occurrence. All they did was warn the parents and children involved that it was dangerous and they should take care.
Then they left it at that giving no indication that they would stop it.
However, Sanook also contacted UNICEF and quoted an unnamed spokesman who said they were worried about the safety of children doing this.
They were also concerned that it may be keeping the children out of school because they would not want to miss the opportunity to make money.
It could be affecting their future by depriving them of education, the UN body said.
We at the Times find it incomprehensible that mindless tourists are happy to put a young life at risk for their “entertainment”. They should be arrested and fined. (Surely Thailand must have a law covering this.) Let’s hope that this dangerous stunt is stopped before we end up reporting a tragedy.
(Source: Sanook)