Mr Bean Jr spotted in Khorat

A photo of a British soldier, said to be Atkinson junior.
A photo of a British soldier, said to be Atkinson junior.

A joint army exercise between Thailand and the United Kingdom suddenly caught the public's attention with reports that the son of Rowan Atkinson, known for playing "Mr Bean", was among the troops.

Lt Benjamin Atkinson, 26, was one of the 120 British soldiers from the Gurkha battalion taking part in the drill code-named "Panther Gold 2019". A photo of a British soldier, said to be Atkinson junior, with a python wrapped around his shoulders has been circulating social media.

It was believed to have been taken during a survival training session in which troops are taught how to identify poisonous animals.

A graduate from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Lt Atkinson recently underwent training in Nepal before joining Panther Gold 2019.

The joint exercise, the second of its kind between the two countries, aims to enhance military capabilities and ties. It was held between Nov 11 and 17 in Nakhon Ratchasima.

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Vocabulary

  • battalion: a large group of soldiers made up of several smaller groups known as companies - กองทหาร, กองพันทหาร
  • drill: to have soldiers practise things such as marching or holding weapons - ฝึกฝน
  • enhance: to improve the quality, amount or strength of something - ปรับปรุง, ทำให้ดีขึ้น
  • joint: done together; belonging to or shared between two or more people - ที่ร่วมกัน, ความร่วมมือกัน
  • poisonous (adj): causing death or illness if swallowed or absorbed into the body - เป็นพิษ
  • python: a very large snake that kills animals for food by wrapping itself around them and crushing them - งูเหลือม, งูหลาม, งูขนาดใหญ่
  • survival: the fact or state of continuing to live or exist, especially in difficult conditions - การอยู่รอด

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