YouTuber-surgeon Dr Nopparat "Mor Song" Rattanawaraha returned to Thailand safely on Tuesday morning after being held captive for 25 days in Mali, West Africa.
Dr Nopparat flew back from Abu Dhabi and arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport around 8am. He left the airport in his Mercedes-Benz without stopping for any interviews.
It was understood that the 49-year-old was planning to give a statement to police on what happened in Mali before having a physical and mental health check at a hospital.
Dr Nopparat posted on his Facebook (Morsongtonglok) page on Monday that he was sorry for making many people worry about him. He was safe and was about to return home. He said when he is ready, he will let people know about what happened during his ordeal. Local media reported that he would hold a press conference tomorrow.
Dr Nopparat is the host of the Mor Song Tong Lok (Dr Song explores the world) YouTube channel. He posted on his Facebook account on Sept 12 that he would spend three weeks (Sept 12-Oct 3) exploring nine countries including Afghanistan, Chad, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
His videos about his trip in Africa ceased being posted on Sept 27 when he said he was about to leave Burkina Faso and crossed into Mali.
The Foreign Ministry said on Monday that he was kidnapped in the Mali city of Kemparana and held for 25 days. He was released only after he paid a 100 million CFA Francs (5.7 million baht) ransom to the kidnappers.
In phone interviews conducted on Tuesday with local media, Dr Nopparat said he always hired a trusted tour agency and informed them to arrange a safe route for him. He said he had a guide in Mali, but lost him while walking on a street, before being abducted.
The YouTuber said he was not hurt but was chained and experienced a lot of mental torment. He said he thought he might not survive the situation but said he'd tell his story in detail later.
He also said he still felt unsafe even when he was in transit in Turkey.
Dr Nopparat was born in Phrae and has three siblings. He graduated with a medical degree from Srinakharinwirot University before furthering his education in surgery in Australia. His surgical treatment is well-known among celebrities, Net idols and those who work in the entertainment industry. He also owns a surgical clinic with a 120 million baht investment.