Thai fisherman returns iPhone found floating in the ocean to American tourist

 

Picture: Workpoint News

 

Stories of good deeds such as valuable items being returned to foreign tourists feature frequently in Thai news.

 

Normally, it’s a taxi driver returning an item of luggage or a passport to a forgetful tourist having left said item in the back of a cab.

 

But today’s good deed story might be the best on yet.

 

A fisherman in Trang has been praised for returning an iPhone to an American tourist.

Workpoint News reported that fisherman Roongroj Benmud found an iPhone 6 Plus in a waterproof zip-lock bag floating in the ocean while he was fishing near Koh Kradan.

 

Roongroj plucked the iPhone from the water and was on his way to the police station to file a report in the hope that it could be returned to its owner.

 

But before he could get to the police station the iPhone, still in working order, began to ring.

 

Roongroj answered and on the other end was the American tourist, who the phone belonged to.

 

According to Workpoint, the tourist had been staying in Trang with her Canadian friend and had gone swimming when the iPhone, secured in the waterproof ziplock bag, had fallen out of her pocket.

 

The tourist, who was due to leave Trang, arranged for Roongroj to hand the phone over at the airport just moments before she was due to leave.

 

Picture: Workpoint News

 

The tourist, named only as Zari, handed over 2,000 baht to Roongroj as a reward for his good deed.

 

Rungroj said he was just happy to help.

 

Source: Workpoint News

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-04-22

2k is a nice reward. good on all of them. 

A Trang fisherman that speaks English, or was the American fluent in (southern)Thai?

A kind act by the fisherman but......

 

why was this guy thrown in jail for 'picking up phone': https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1089352-british-man-released-on-bail-in-thailand-over-theft-of-mobile-phone/page/3/?tab=comments#comment-14066055 - seems like he innocently picked up a phone he found on the floor. 

 

 

Didn't the fisherman do pretty much the same thing?

 

 

 

 

3 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

A Trang fisherman that speaks English, or was the American fluent in (southern)Thai?

I can see a lot of people falling for this, hook, line and sinker ! ???? ????

7 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

A Trang fisherman that speaks English, or was the American fluent in (southern)Thai?

Hmmm, smells fishy...

13 minutes ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

A kind act by the fisherman but......

 

why was this guy thrown in jail for 'picking up phone': https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1089352-british-man-released-on-bail-in-thailand-over-theft-of-mobile-phone/page/3/?tab=comments#comment-14066055 - seems like he innocently picked up a phone he found on the floor. 

 

 

Didn't the fisherman do pretty much the same thing?

 

 

 

 

Ummm because he found a phone at the airport, took it to his hostel, went out for the night...at what point was he trying to return it?

 

do you not think the owner tried to call it? Did he answer, or was the sim already out?

 

I doubt his intentions were good, despite the uk media slant

21 minutes ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

A kind act by the fisherman but......

 

why was this guy thrown in jail for 'picking up phone': https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1089352-british-man-released-on-bail-in-thailand-over-theft-of-mobile-phone/page/3/?tab=comments#comment-14066055 - seems like he innocently picked up a phone he found on the floor. 

 

 

Didn't the fisherman do pretty much the same thing?

 

 

 

 

That's completely different!!  This guy was Thai, the other guy was not Thai.

 

Does that help to clarify things? ????

20 minutes ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

A kind act by the fisherman but......

 

why was this guy thrown in jail for 'picking up phone': https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1089352-british-man-released-on-bail-in-thailand-over-theft-of-mobile-phone/page/3/?tab=comments#comment-14066055 - seems like he innocently picked up a phone he found on the floor. 

 

 

Didn't the fisherman do pretty much the same thing?

 

 

 

 

I read "

Mr Dodd said he found the phone just as he was about to get into the taxi after arriving at Chiang Mai airport.

He looked around to see if he could spot someone who may have dropped it but could not see anyone so he decided to take with him to the hostel to try to trace the owner from there.

Soon after arriving at the hostel, Mr Dodd was arrested after police had seen him on CCTV picking it up."

 

So in my opinion - he made it the wrong way ;-) 

1 minute ago, simon43 said:

That's completely different!!  This guy was Thai, the other guy was not Thai.

 

Does that help to clarify things? ????

No no - the fisherman took the call - delivered phone - the Tourist did it not bring to authorities at airport - brought it to his flat ;-) 

 

Mr Dodd said he found the phone just as he was about to get into the taxi after arriving at Chiang Mai airport.

He looked around to see if he could spot someone who may have dropped it but could not see anyone so he decided to take with him to the hostel to try to trace the owner from there.

Soon after arriving at the hostel, Mr Dodd was arrested after police had seen him on CCTV picking it up.

I always find it remarkable that the press are always on hand to witness these unselfish acts of kindness ...

43 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

A Trang fisherman that speaks English, or was the American fluent in (southern)Thai?

 Well perhaps there were others involved to do a bit of translation etc., but not mentioned in the report to keep it quick and simple? 

A Trang fisherman for PM ????

55 minutes ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

A kind act by the fisherman but......

 

why was this guy thrown in jail for 'picking up phone': https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1089352-british-man-released-on-bail-in-thailand-over-theft-of-mobile-phone/page/3/?tab=comments#comment-14066055 - seems like he innocently picked up a phone he found on the floor. 

 

 

Didn't the fisherman do pretty much the same thing?

 

 

 

 

British guy innocent? The story doesn't tend to support that. Plus, even the comments in the Daily Mail article indicate some doubt on his true intentions. However, looks like a nice little earner, via GFM, was the final outcome.

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6944559/Traveller-arrested-thrown-hellish-Thai-jail-picking-lost-mobile-phone.html

17 minutes ago, scorecard said:

 Well perhaps there were others involved to do a bit of translation etc., but not mentioned in the report to keep it quick and simple? 

Yes yes, but that would spoil the fun.

1 hour ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

A kind act by the fisherman but......

 

why was this guy thrown in jail for 'picking up phone': https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1089352-british-man-released-on-bail-in-thailand-over-theft-of-mobile-phone/page/3/?tab=comments#comment-14066055 - seems like he innocently picked up a phone he found on the floor. 

 

 

Didn't the fisherman do pretty much the same thing?

 

 

 

 

LOL if you were not admin id assume you were a troll. The only time it crossed the mind of Mr Dodd to return the phone was when the RTP were crashing through his door - that would have been a picture. When he nabbed the phone in the airport he likely walked past both an information desk and a security guard - two solid opportunists to hand the phone in. No he thought he would take it back to the hostel and trace the owner from there....sure. Roongroj took the first chance he got.

 

Roongroj gets 2k baht from a thankful tourist. Fairplay

 

Dodd gets nearly a million baht from the fools on gofundme. 

 

 

 

 

42 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

Yes yes, but that would spoil the fun.

 Perhaps you need a hobby.

5 minutes ago, scorecard said:

 Perhaps you need a hobby.

Would help for sure, but in this heat....

Chris Dodd said: he picked up the phone to try to find its owner and in doing so he moved it to a different location, which is considered theft under Thai law.

 

So the fisherman anchored, and did not leave the spot in the ocean where he found the phone to avoid jail?

Quote

the tourist had been staying in Trang with her Canadian friend and had gone swimming when the iPhone, secured in the waterproof ziplock bag, had fallen out of her pocket.

Womens swimsuits have pockets?

It will soon be revealed that the fisherman drives taxi part time....

12 minutes ago, Lupatria said:

Chris Dodd said: he picked up the phone to try to find its owner and in doing so he moved it to a different location, which is considered theft under Thai law.

 

So the fisherman anchored, and did not leave the spot in the ocean where he found the phone to avoid jail?

No CCTV cameras out in the ocean. The Airport thief was on numerous CCTV cameras. 

The fisherman has been warned off by the Taxi Mafia for moving into their turf.

Strange BIB didn't arrest him leave him in jail for 10 days for picking up something that didn't belong to him in the sea? No bucks in that obviously. See similar post.

2 hours ago, ALFREDO said:

No no - the fisherman took the call - delivered phone - the Tourist did it not bring to authorities at airport - brought it to his flat ????

 

Mr Dodd said he found the phone just as he was about to get into the taxi after arriving at Chiang Mai airport.

He looked around to see if he could spot someone who may have dropped it but could not see anyone so he decided to take with him to the hostel to try to trace the owner from there.

Soon after arriving at the hostel, Mr Dodd was arrested after police had seen him on CCTV picking it up.

So he went straight from the boat to the airport? Pretty nice clothes to wear on a ship no?

Nice one

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Workpoint News reported that fisherman Roongroj Benmud found an iPhone 6 Plus in a waterproof zip-lock bag floating in the ocean while he was fishing near Koh Kradan.

That was so handy IN A WATERPROOF ZIP LOCK FLOATING BAG, how lucky was that, 

Amazing the timing of this fishy report, considering the American was jailed for finding a mobile. 

Well the taxi driver B. S returning millions of baht must be wearing a bit thin now it's fishermen. Who next. This site is getting worse day by day printing this cr@p

I think 'rewards' are all too expected. It would be a much more genuinely kind and impressive act to decline the reward monies and simply hand back the property to the rightful owner.