Honest Bangkok taxi driver returns 400,000 baht to Danish tourist

[webfact]

Honest Bangkok taxi driver returns 400,000 baht to Danish tourist

 

TNews

 

A Bangkok taxi driver has been praised after returning a bag containing 400,000 baht to a Danish tourist.

 

The driver, identified as Somsri Ralat picked up the Danish tourist and his Thai wife at Suvarnabhumi airport and was taking them to the 13 Coins Hotel in Bang Yai at around 1.30pm on Monday.

 

However, after arriving at the hotel, the couple left the bag containing the cash and some other documents in the back of the taxi.

 

TNews

 

After discovering the bag, the driver contacted staff at the airport to ask for help in tracking down the couple.

 

The couple were then reunited with their bag at Suvarnabhumi at 4.30pm on Monday.

 

Wing Commander Suthirawat Suwannawat, Managing Director of Suvarnabhumi Airport said Mr Somsri was a credit to Thailand and his actions would be good for the country’s image among foreign tourists.

 

TNews

 

Passengers who leave personal belongings in the back of a taxi they have taken from Survanabhumbi are reminded they can contact the Taxi Service Center, on Tel. 02 132 0360 or the AOT Contact Center, on tel. 1722, 24 hours a day.

 

Source: TNews

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-03-19

[SkyNets]

Things must be bad, that's the second honest taxi driver story today.

 

[BobbyL]

As usual, a few bad tourists stories and suddenly out comes a classic like this. 

[Lucius verus]

As is always the case.; how did the driver know it was there? Do taxi drivers inspect the back seat and underseat areas every time a passenger alights.

Why didn't the next passenger find the bag?

Amazing Thailand. If you left 20k cash in a taxi in the west you can kiss it bye bye.

[PatOngo]

I'm still waiting for the feel good story of the politician who returns the millions he has syphoned off during his career...…….say what? they don't do that? Oh well, lets stick to the kind, honest taxi drivers to preserve the pristine reputation of this wonderful country! 

[JamJar]

Erm....if he dropped them off at the 13 Coins Hotel.....why didn't he simply go back to that hotel to look for them in the first instance?

Perhaps it was they who contacted the airport to find him....and since their trip was recorded, he had little choice.

A substantially different scenario.

[MaxLee]

Stop it already, this is not funny anymore 

[Ches9266]

I know that when flying into Thailand from the UK, I am not allowed any more than £10,000 in cash.
But according to the Thai custom website which I have just checked...

Currency Import regulations: Local currency (Baht-THB): up to THB 50,000.- per person or THB 100,000.- per family holding one passport. Foreign currencies: unlimited. However, amounts of foreign currency exceeding USD 20,000.- (or equivalent) must be declared to a Customs Officer upon arrival by all travelers.

Therefore did he declare this and if not will he be looking at a fine or the cash seized?

[Marc19]

11 hours ago, Ches9266 said:

I know that when flying into Thailand from the UK, I am not allowed any more than £10,000 in cash.
But according to the Thai custom website which I have just checked...

Currency Import regulations: Local currency (Baht-THB): up to THB 50,000.- per person or THB 100,000.- per family holding one passport. Foreign currencies: unlimited. However, amounts of foreign currency exceeding USD 20,000.- (or equivalent) must be declared to a Customs Officer upon arrival by all travelers.

Therefore did he declare this and if not will he be looking at a fine or the cash seized?

How do you know he didnt withraw the money in an ATM after he arrived and passed the custom?

[balo]

This just sounds so wrong, I am not sure I believe this at all.

He is a Danish tourist, we Scandinavians comes from a cashless society and use cards all the time, and even the smartphone.

 

Why carry 400k in cash? I never carried that much cash, 30-40k at most. It just doesn't make any sense. And leaving the bag in the car without thinking about it, come on! 

 

Edited March 19, 2019 by balo

[balo]

Also no names are mentioned in the article, not his name or his Thai wife, so it's impossible to verify. 

 

Edited March 19, 2019 by balo

[CharlieH]

Funny how one of these stories appears from taxiland right after a story about car and licence not matching and meter too fast.

 

 

 

 

[steven100]

 

Thai taxi drivers are just so honest ....  lol 

 

[colinneil]

This story is utter BS, why would the taxi driver ( who was named) contact the airport for help and not the hotel.

As has already been pointed out, who would risk confiscation by carrying such a large amount of cash.

Also Scandinavian countries are almost cashless, so why would a conveniently unnamed Danish man carry that large amount.

Surely before coming up with these c++p made up events, the clowns would make sure to get things correct first.

[GoodieAfterDark]

I am in tears after reading this article. So many very, very good men in Thailand. So hard to find honest and sincere people in this world. Finally I found a country where I can be happy with so many very, very good men.

[shackleton]

well if true  hope the taxi driver was well rewarded

seems to be a few  tourists carrying a lot of cash when they arrive in Thailand 

would have thought  credit cards,  bank transfers were more in order 

[tlandtday]

sorry but he certainly isn't dressed like a guy carrying that much cash... these stories are becoming suspect to say the least....

[fisherd3]

If anyone in Britain was walking around with 400,000 thb in cash they would be arrested by the police and made to account for it.

[balo]

31 minutes ago, tlandtday said:

sorry but he certainly isn't dressed like a guy carrying that much cash.

Right, he is more dressed for a beach party. 

 

The only reason for carrying that sum of money is if they were on their way to a car dealer and just been visiting the bank.

I paid for my car with cash, and that was the only time, the seller followed me to the bank.    

 

[ratcatcher]

I haven't yet read how much of a reward our lucky Dane actually gave driver Somsri for his honesty. Usually that fact alone is enough for two pages of discussion on this type of topic.

[Boedog]

I have lost count of the number of honest taxi drivers in Thailand

And have lost count how many times large sums of cash are left by foreigners in taxi,s, what a load of BS, oh they remember to there other bags but leave the one with all the cash, l can't believe they keep printing this BS and expects us to believe it

[BEngBKK]

Come oooooonnnnnn.. There are many honest taxi drivers in Thailand.

I meet one 3 years ago...

[geoffrobbo]

So we have the teenage girls ripped off by a dive boat operator story. One bad story and within a couple of days the inevitable "taxi driver found and returned some money" story. Come on, it is time to find some other made up good news story - the taxi driver stuff is getting staid.

[Ramdas]

Complete BS as usual ! Exactly why didn’t he go back to the hotel where he dropped them off ? I guess he had to make it public just for the photo shoot ????????‍♂️ 

He appears as if he could use new clothes for himself just after having showed he’s honesty perhaps ????

 

[Netease]

He had no choice but to return it,  he would have been easy to track down by cameras at the Airport and hotel, I left video camera in a taxi once, only got it back after police contacted my hotel I stayed at got the cab details then went to the cab drivers house and got the camera

[RJRS1301]

20 hours ago, JamJar said:

Erm....if he dropped them off at the 13 Coins Hotel.....why didn't he simply go back to that hotel to look for them in the first instance?

Perhaps it was they who contacted the airport to find him....and since their trip was recorded, he had little choice.

A substantially different scenario.

My thoughts exactly about contacting the Hotel to locate them

[Vacuum]

6 hours ago, Marc19 said:

How do you know he didnt withraw the money in an ATM after he arrived and passed the custom?

Is it possible to withdraw 400K in an ATM?

[balo]

Is it possible to withdraw 400K in an ATM?

30k maximum per day in most ATMs.

[Mavideol]

you guys give too much credit to the fake news and bs stories, the best way to discredit them is by ignoring them

[hotchilli]

21 hours ago, SkyNets said:

Things must be bad, that's the second honest taxi driver story today.

 

Following yesterdays taxi driver who tried to overcharge!

Time to change the music!