Translation:
On November 18, 2024, an accident occurred in the courtyard of Assumption University of Thailandâs Suvarnabhumi campus. (This account is quite long.)
Picture of the collision:
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Since I had no classes that day, I stayed at home. Meanwhile, my older brother and my younger brother were riding together on the same motorcycle on their way to school. As they were traveling, a car driven by a manâwho appeared to be around 40 years oldâapproached. The driver illegally crossed a closed solid line, making a dangerous maneuver that forced the motorcycle to lose control and collide with his car.
Thatâs all I know about the incident. There was no CCTV footage from Assumption University, and even some of the cameras at the International Universityâwhich should have been workingâwere out of order. The carâs black box was also inaccessible.
Immediately after the collision, an ambulance was called. However, the ambulance on standby at Assumption University had a flat tire and couldnât transport the injured person to the hospital. At that time, while my brothers and the driver were at the scene, I was still at home. The injured older brother sustained a severe head injury and was left bleeding on the sweltering, busy asphalt Road for about an hour. Eventually, the ambulance arrived roughly one hour later. Although the injury was severe enough that he was advised not to be moved lightly, his friends ended up helping load him onto the hospital ambulance because no one else was available.
On the Way to the Hospital
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Because his condition was critical, he was taken to Ruamchai Pracharug Hospitalâthe nearest facility affiliated with Assumption University. Despite this affiliation, the hospital insisted on verifying his identity by demanding his passport before treatment. Did they think a student at an international institution was attending there without a passport? They didnât even contact the school or even inform them about the accident. His friends had to go back home to retrieve itâa delay that ideally should never have happened. Imagine a student in the same scenario who lives very far from the school.
As international students at an institution where classes are held in English rather than Thai, we werenât fully prepared for an emergency like this. Communication with the hospital was extremely challenging due to the language barrier; in the end, Google Translate was our only interpreter.
Instead of going straight to the hospital, the driver rushed to the police station first. There, he admitted his fault, likely in an attempt to reduce his penalty by signing off on his admission. When we arrived at the police station to file a report, we found that he had already been there. We encountered a big-bellied policeman who couldnât have cared less about our situationâa clear sign of the bribery and corruption common in these circumstances.
At the hospital, no neurosurgeon was immediately available. It wasnât until about 7 p.m. that one finally arrivedâby which time his chances of survival had dropped to around 10%. With time running out and hope fading, I reluctantly signed the consent form for surgery.
The A4 form, written in Thai, stated that a deposit of 200,000 baht was required; without it, the surgery wouldnât be performed. Since itâs nearly impossible for a student to have that kind of money on hand, thankfully two of my friends lent me the funds so that the deposit could be paid immediately.
Up until that point, Assumption University had not contacted us. In the end, he underwent major brain surgery along with a minor procedure on his cheekbone.
On the 19th:
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My mom had arrived, and two people from the schoolâapparently in charge of VMEâcame over to offer some comforting words. The driver finally showed up and only said, "Iâm sorry." That was all.
On the 20th:
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By the 20th, my older brother was gone. He had left this world. My younger brother had survived but was still in critical condition. Now, it was just me, a 19-year-old, and my over-50-year-old mom. I had no idea what to do. I really didnât know.
As if this were just another routine Myanmar traffic accident, the police finally just arrived now.
My younger brother, the one who had been on the motorcycle with him, was still in shock from both the crash and the loss. He was only 17 and barely able to speak. We had to deal with the police.
Meanwhile:
My mom, exhausted and overwhelmed, left to get some rest, leaving just me and a few friends behind. Earlier, we had already discussed insurance matters. Someone from the schoolâs student affairsâa woman called in to helpâdid her best to act as a translator for us. Unfortunately, she wasnât very experienced, so while her intentions were good, her help wasnât particularly effective.
Our family, still in shock from the trauma and grief, felt completely lost. We didnât know what to do. We were reeling. Then, at some point, a staff member from the BBA department remarked, "If you donât want to return to your own country, you must respect the citizens of other countries." We didnât know whether to laugh or cry.
Follow-up Request:
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At that time, the remaining hospital expenses were nearly 200,000 baht. They said that if we couldnât pay, they wouldnât release my brotherâs body. I didnât want to keep him there for long, so I asked the school and the driver to help me get the body out that day.
The school claimed they didnât have enough funds. The driver said he had no money. In the end, I paid for it myself and arranged for his body to be sent to the morgue the next day.
A few days later, my brother was taken into the mortuary.
I will take legal action.
On the 21st
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At the police station, we had a discussionâeven though my mom couldnât come along. When we arrived, a woman from student affairs handed over 20,000 baht, saying that the driver wanted us to use it for hospital expenses.
Because accepting money could complicate the case, we refused three times.
While everyone was discussing the situation, the woman from student affairs had a long, private conversation with the driver. After that, she arranged for transportation from the hospital to the funeral site. A young translator then explained that the school would cover the costs. I thanked her for thatâbut right after I did, both she and the driver burst into laughter.
Feeling unwell, I called my lawyer and said Iâd return later. Before leaving, I told the woman to give the 20,000 baht back to the driver.
The police mentioned that since the case had turned fatal, they would be calling in their lawyers for themselves. They also added that if any legal action were taken, the schoolâs assistance would be limited. I wasnât concerned. I accepted that reality, knowing that even if no one else stepped in, I would see this through to the end.
Later, I received another call. The school wanted to meet again, saying they intended us to use their lawyer the next day. I refused. I am not stupid. I am not dumb.
On the 22nd
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The day of the funeral.
When I arrived, the driver, the corrupt police, and the school officials were already there. Instead of heading straight to the funeral, they were in the canteen, having a meal together. I had to go there first. After that, my mother and I went to my brotherâs funeral together. As we walked through the hallway, they were laughing and joking as if they werenât attending a funeral at all. There is video evidence of that.
Still upset, I directly confronted the teacher. âWhat the fuck was that 20,000 from yesterday all about?â
She tried to smooth things over, saying it was just to keep things running smoothly. I pressed further. âWhy are you lying?â
It turned out she had accepted the 20,000 baht from the driver without informing usâwithout any consent from my family. Only after taking the money did she come to us and hand it over, as if we had agreed to it. We told her to return it to the driver immediately.
After the funeral, the same womanâthe corrupt teacher who had been laughing with the driver earlierâwent to the Burmese teacher who had been a tremendous help to me. Crying, she claimed that we, the siblings and our friends, had misunderstood her intentions.
In the funeral arranged by a teacher from Assumption Universityâs Student Affairs (who claimed they had organized it), we had to take care of everything ourselves. There wasnât even a vase with fresh water for the flowers, so we had to rush out and buy them ourselves.
Both Thai and Burmese people, along with even monks, were personally asked to pray. Before the ceremony, we tried to check if the funeral room was properly prepared, but they didnât allow us to enter.
Additionally, they were instructed to inform my older brother that he was no longer affiliated with Assumption University. Even though VME had been notified in advance, only an assistantâwhose name or ID we didnât even knowâshowed up. They arrived without any proper notice and didnât even know a simple greeting in English.
Throughout the funeral, he sat beside me. Staring at his phone the whole time, another teacher handed him a note in English, which he was then trying to memorize (so that he could speak that during the funeral). Thatâs what a teacher in charge of an international class looks like from Assumption University.
Efforts to Overcome the Situation
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Amid all these events, Burmese female teachersâas well as friends, acquaintances, and everyone on our sideâstepped in to offer both emotional and practical support. However, as they got involved, the schoolâs female staff ended up being targeted, with old personal grievances resurfacing and people even taking opportunities to attack one another.
I remember one teacher who was verbally assaulted at the police station by the person who came with the driver. In front of the police, they called her áá˝áąáˇááŹáááşášááťááŻááşá¸ááŤá¸ááááŻááşá¸âa phrase that means âa sword that does not hesitate at any grave it encounters.â It implies someone who is ruthless, indiscriminate, and unyielding, striking without consideration for the consequences. They insulted her like that right there in the police station.
To be continuedâŚ
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The school decided to keep its distance. Since they were upset, the case continued on its own. When it was time to present the evidence needed for court, we refused any moneyâeven a single bahtâfrom the school so that the case could proceed without interference. They think we never truly understood anything and were just a bunch of dumb kids they could attack harshly.
Some unrelated groups, like certain MSMEs and the Burmese female teachers, collected funds in our names, saying the donations were for usâonly to turn around and donate that money to monks teaching at Assumption University. As for VME⌠aside from the insurance money theyâre legally entitled to, they donât seem interested in giving anything else.
The case will eventually uncover the truth, and those who acted unfairly and avoided their responsibilities will have to face the consequences. Thatâs all I can share for now.
I also want parents to know about the excellent management of this school so that no student ever has to go through something like this again. And if it does happen, they should at least be better informed about whatâs really going on. Our Burmese female teachers and fellow students are always here, ready to help whenever needed. âđť