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Thai girl to receive donation from S’pore Red Cross

Thai teen Nitcharee Peneakchanasak whose legs were crushed by an MRT train will receive a cheque from the Singapore Red Cross Society. (Yahoo! photo)
Thai teen Nitcharee Peneakchanasak whose legs were crushed by an MRT train will receive a cheque from the Singapore Red Cross Society. (Yahoo! photo)

The family of Thai teen Nitcharee Peneakchanasak who was hit by an MRT train will receive $250,000 in donations from the Singapore Red Cross Society on Thursday.

The sum which was contributed by a group of anonymous donors is meant to support the teen's future medical expenses, which include the cost of her rehabilitation programme.

In April, Nitcharee, 15, had fallen onto the train tracks of Ang Mo Kio station and both her legs were crushed by the incoming train.

A spokesman for the Singapore Red Cross Society said that the donations did not come from fund-raising efforts, reported The Straits Times.

Instead, the society was approached on Wednesday morning by the anonymous donors.

"The amount comes from a group of donors who approached the society and asked if we could pass on the money to our Thai counterparts with whom we work very closely," she said.

The cheque will be presented to Thai Princess Maha Chakir Sirindhorn by Singapore Red Cross chairman Tee Tua Ba on Thursday afternoon, and the sum will be given directly to the girl's father.

Since arriving in Bangkok on Monday, Nitcharee has been staying at the Sirindhorn National Medical Rehabilitation Centre where she is undergoing physiotherapy.

It is understood that measurements for her prosthetic legs were taken when she arrived at the centre, and they are now being made in Germany. They cost 1 million baht ($40,000) each.

However, it is unclear whether Nitcharee's family will receive any financial help in Bangkok for her prosthetic limbs, but it is understood that the centre may be paying for them.

Meanwhile, her medical bills in Singapore amount to about $46,000 and were paid for by her father.

Earlier this week, My Paper reported that Nitcharee's father had declined SMRT's compensation offer of $5,000 and had engaged a lawyer to ask for a fairer compensation.

"I am so happy to be home. I am thankful for everyone's kindness, both here and in Singapore," said Nitcharee.

The girl also expressed her desire to be up on her prosthetic legs as soon as possible, adding that she must maintain her current body weight of 40kg in order for the "new legs" to support her.

"She has a very positive mindset," added the centre's head physiotherapist Ms Pakaorn Sai-pan. "She's doing very well and her cheerfulness makes the other patients here happy."

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