Two months ago, Thai teenager Nitcharee Peneakchanasak lost both of her legs after falling onto the MRT tracks in Ang Mo Kio. Now, a group of anonymous Singaporeans have donated S$250,000 for Nitcharee Peneakchanasak's medical rehabilitation expenses. The amount of money is enough to pay for not her medical rehabilitation expenses but a pair of prosthetic legs as well.
I would like to laud the kindhearted Singaporeans who have made all the difference for this young girl. However, I would like to point out a strange question I have about this incident. It is: How did the girl fall onto the MRT tracks?
As we all know now, the MRT station at Ang Mo Kio does not have the half-height platform screen doors. Therefore, is it SMRT's fault for not installing the screen doors quickly, or is it the girl's fault for not being careful enough? The girl's father has viewed the CCTV footage of the incident, yet decided to keep the details confidential. This feels a little strange to me. If it is not the girl's fault that she fell onto the MRT tracks, why keep it a secret? From this, we can assume that the CCTV footage showed that it was, at least, partially the girl's fault that she fell onto the MRT tracks. Moreover, Mr Peneakchanasak, the girl's 56-year-old father, rejected SMRT's compensation offer of S$5,000, saying that he would seek 'fairer' compensation. I would like to ask this: ON what grounds does he have the right to seek fairer compensation? I have been on the MRT several times and I do not seehow it is possible to all onto the tracks unless one is not paying much attention to one's surroundings (texting, reading, etc.) or one is pushed. I seriously doubt that Nitcharee Peneakchanasak was pushed since I do not believe that anyone in Singapore would have no other better thing to do. IN conclusion, I do not believe that it is entirely SMRT's fault for not installing the platform screen doors. It is also partially, if not entirely, Nitcharee Peneakchanasak's fault for not paying enough attention to her surroundings. I would like to point out that the Singaporean donors' compassion is commendable yet perhaphs a little misplaced. I believe that if one makes a mistake, one should be able to bear the consequences of that mistake. I can only hope that Nitcharee Peneakchanasak will be more careful around MRT stations sfter getting her pair of prosthetic legs and not repeat her mistake.
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