A police sergeant, who passed written examination and physical tests to be promoted to a commissioned officer, but was rejected because he has a prosthetic leg, has been reinstated by order of the national police chief, Pol Gen Kitrat Phanphet.
Pol Sgt Thanawat Panyalertsattha, an enquiry officer attached to Bang Bung district office in Chon Buri, was involved in a road accident in 2021 and had a leg amputated. Since then, he has had to wear a prosthetic leg.
Last year, he took an examination, organised by the Royal Thai Police, offering the chance for non-commissioned officers to be upgraded to commissioned inquiry officers.
He scored the highest among all the applicants in the written exam and passed physical tests in running and swimming.
He was, however, rejected for the upgrade by the exam committee, citing the physical test regulation which forbids the use of ‘supporting tools or equipment’, due to his reliance on his prosthetic leg.
Thanawat’s rejection attracted widespread attention and sympathy after it was posted on social media, prompting the Royal Thai Police to launch an investigation and to review the decision.
After being informed of the police chief’s order, Thanawat thanked the police chief, saying that this is not just a triumph for him, but it also marks a positive sign of the change in attitude towards disabilities in the Thai society.
He also said that there are still many police officers who have lost their limbs and been denied the opportunity to advance in their careers, as he urged them to fight on to claim their rights to be treated equally.
