Migrant finds help after losing all

Migrant finds help after losing all

A Myanmar construction worker left his wallet containing 14,600 baht and a passport on a <i>song taew</i> in central Phuket but got it back shortly afterwards with the help of a compatriot, a motorcycle taxi driver and the manager of a song taew company.

Htet Kwaning Phyo, 20, was travelling on a city song taew (makeshift bus) and put the wallet and passport on the seat next to him. But when he stepped off the back at Baan Sarn fresh market to do some shopping, he left both the money and identification behind.

He only recognised this after the song taew had pulled out. Mr Htet phoned for help, and reached a friend, also a migrant from Myanmar. He could not remember song taew’s license plate number, but the friend told Mr Htet to contact Pakorn Theprak, a 56-year-old motorcycle taxi driver.

Good Samaritan Pakorn looked for contact information from Mr Htet’s fare ticket, and telephoned Somkiat Sriraksasin, manager of Rot Po Thong Phuket, a Phuket song taew company, to inform him of the incident.

After checking the route and time of the song taew, Mr Somkiat was able to identify the driver, and asked him to search for Mr Htet’s belongings. 

Mr Somkiat said the foreigner was very lucky, because no new passengers took the song taew between the point he alit at the market until it reached its terminus at Phuket Vocational College.

Mr Htet said he was a construction worker at Phanason Residence Co, next to Makro's Phuket branch.

He said he was happy to get his wallet and passport back and thanked everyone who helped him.

Htet Kwaning Phyo, a happy man after retrieving his ID and nearly 15,000 baht he left behind in a song taew in Phuket. (Photo by Achadtaya Chuenniran)

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