A disabled campaigner has claimed that he banged the glass door of an elevator at the Asoke station of the BTS sky train because the door was locked and that he was demanded to sign his name for using the lift.
The 50-year old campaigner for accessibility to public transport for the disabled, Mr Manit Inpim, claimed on Monday that he didn’t seek publicity for himself for his act in banging the door of the lift on Sunday which landed him being charged by the police at Lumpini station following a complaint to the police by BTS officials.
He told the media that it was the BTS official at Asoke station who started the trouble for making him to sign his name for demanding access to the train service. He said he refused to sign because it was the basic right of the disabled to have access to the train service.
He said he then bought a ticket and went to the lift in his wheel chair, but the door of the lift was closed and no one bothered to open it. He admitted that he was angry and started banging the lift’s door until a guard came.
Mr Manit claimed he had demanding a lift to be installed at all BTS stations for years and, until now, 18 stations still lack the basic facility for the disabled despite an order from the Central Administrative Court for lifts to be installed at all stations.
He warned that he would sue the Transport Ministry, the BTS and the city administration if he could not get a satisfactory answer from any of them about when elevators would equipped at all BTS stations.
He insisted that he wanted the public to realize the problem faced by the disabled people in their access to public transport and wanted the authorities concerned to take action to address the problem.
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