An epileptic teenager was rescued by police after his father chained him to a tree to stop him from wandering away and hurting himself.

Neighbours alerted police after seeing the thirteen-year-old tethered by his ankle outside the wooden home in Satun, southern Thailand on Wednesday (September 25) afternoon.

Officers arrived and tracked down the boy's father Kitisak Faiboonchan, 37, to a hut a short walk away where he was staying with his partner. He was wearing a blue sarong and made to release the padlock.

The pair were taken to the local police station where Kitisak said he had chained up his son because he was worried he would wander away and hurt himself or have an epileptic fit without anybody around.

Bizarrely, doctors seemed to confirm that it was the safest way of controlling the boy and let them go home together to continue with the cruel treatment.

The father, Kitisak, said: ''My son has epilepsy and it causes him to move and run around all the time. I have to keep him still, so I chained him to the tree.

"However, I only chain him when there is no one to look after him such as when I have to go to work or when I need to rest.

''I think this is the best way to keep him safe and he has never complained about it. I love him.''

Officers said the boy had scratches on his body but he said he was ''not afraid'' to be chained to the tree.

They said the young boy was hungry and brought him a hot meal and gave him bottles of water, which he drank quickly.

Officers then handed the case over to social workers and the father and boy were both released without any legal action.

Social worker Umar Hayeemaket, from the country's Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, said: ''The father and boy have returned home. He insisted that this was the best way of caring for his son.

"The doctor checked the boy's scratches and found they were caused accidentally not by the father. The doctor agreed that taming the boy like this is the right way to handle epilepsy but we have asked the father to try and use other ways.

''We will stay in contact with the family and try to support the father with his difficulties and advise him about caring for his son.''

An epileptic teenager was rescued by police after his father chained him to a TREE to stop him from wandering away and hurting himself.

Neighbours alerted police after seeing the thirteen-year-old tethered by his ankle outside the wooden home in Satun, southern Thailand on Wednesday (25/09) afternoon.

Officers arrived and tracked down the boy's father Kitisak Faiboonchan, 37, to a hut a short walk away where he was staying with his partner, the boy's step mother. He was wearing a blue sarong and made to release the padlock.

The pair were taken to the local police station where Kitisak said he had chained up his son because he was worried he could wander away and hurt himself or have an epileptic fit with nobody around.

Bizarrely, doctors seemed to confirm that it was the safest way of controlling the boy and let them go home together to continue with the cruel treatment.

The father, Kitisak, said: ''My son has epilepsy and it causes him to move and run around all the time. I have to keep him still, so I chained him to the tree.

"However, I only chain him when there is no one to look after him such as when I have to go to work or when I need to rest.

''I think this is the best way to keep him safe and he has never complained about it. I love him.''

Officers said the boy had scratches on his body but he said he was ''not afraid'' to be chained to the tree.

They said the lad was hungry and brought him a hot meal and gave him bottles of water, which he gulped down quickly.

Officers then handed the case over to social workers and the father and boy were both released without any legal action.

Social worker Umar Hayeemaket from the country's Ministry of Social Development and Human Security said: ''The father and boy have returned home. He insisted that this was the best way of caring for his son.

"The doctor checked the boy's scratches and found they were caused accidentally not by the father. The doctor agreed that taming the boy like this is the right way to handle epilepsy but we have asked the father to try and use other ways.

''We will stay in contact with the family and try to support the father with his difficulties and advise him about caring for his son.''