A Thai father has kept his nine-year-old son in a wooden cage for five years after he suffered a head injury in a car crash.
Chamnan Duangjan, 38, said Porrames started behaving badly after he suffered a severe head injury in 2012 in Krabi.
The lad’s mother walked out and with nobody around to care for the youngster he repeatedly ran away and hid in neighbouring forests.
The rubber plant worker then built the two 8ft x 7ft structure fearing he was not safe to be left alone while he was out working.
Chamnan now locks the youngster in the pen every morning before taking him back into the house at night time.
Neighbours feed Dhammachai, the youngest of three, through the gaps in the pieces of wood. Chamnan said that he was desperate to help the boy but had tried everything and no longer knew what to do.
He said: ‘’My son was in a car crash five years ago while going to school and had a very bad wound on his forehead. When he was healed he did not return to normal.
”Every day he would run away and one time I found him hiding in the forest. I would find him far away walking on his own, sometimes with no clothes on.
”I took him to many hospitals but his symptoms never improved. I was afraid that he would be in danger. Then I decided to build the cage to keep him there while I went to work.’’
A local reporter heard about the young lad and after the Thai media published reports on him the authorities arrived yesterday to try and help.
