Malaysian boy, 11, left disabled after being punished by teacher to stand under sun for nearly 3 hours

An 11-year-old boy in Malaysia who was forced to stand under the hot sun for nearly three hours in school is now suffering from a nerve condition.

The local hospital in Selangor has issued a referral letter for him to be assessed as a person with disabilities, said his mother Mogahana Selvi in a press conference on Wednesday (May 29).

The boy had been reportedly made to stand in the sun by a school teacher from 10am to 12.50pm on April 30. He was later rushed to the hospital, reported The New Straits Times.

Mogahana told media that her son is "not normal" and "hides a lot and talks to himself" after the incident, reported NST.

"The hospital informed me that I can't send my son to a regular school anymore because of his health issues. They say I have to send him to a school for special needs children now," she added.

The family's lawyer, Dinesh Muthal, said he would file a civil suit against all involved in the case.

He was quoted by NST as saying: "This incident has caused a lot of stress to the victim's parents, especially Mogahana who is three months pregnant. They now have to come to terms with the fact that their son will never lead a normal life.

"Apart from a civil suit, we want the teacher involved to be charged in court and be given an appropriate sentence [if found guilty]."

Action taken by authorities ‘unsatisfactory’

Meanwhile, Malaysia-Singapore Workers Task Force (Pemas) chairman S Dayalan said the authorities' investigation and action taken against the school were "unsatisfactory".

Dayalan claimed that the school had also sent three warning letters regarding the boy's absence in May to Mogahana and her husband B Suresh while he was receiving medical treatment.

"Yet, in that entire time, they have not discussed the issue of the boy being forced to stand in the sun with the parents," said the chairman.

In the incident, the boy had reportedly complained about feeling dizzy during the punishment but was allegedly ignored, said his mother then.

Ampang Jaya district police chief assistant commissioner Mohd Azam Ismail had confirmed the hospital's diagnosis but said their investigations found that the boy and three other students were punished to stand for 10 minutes, according to NST.

He said then that investigations had been completed and the investigation papers had been referred to the Deputy Public Prosecutor for further action.

ALSO READ: 7-year-old student in Malaysia made to stand under 'scorching sun' for being 'just 10 minutes late'

lim.kewei@asiaone.com