Two Thai Victims of Korean Air Crash Identified & Mourned

[Georgealbert]

 

 

Tragedy struck when a Jeju Air flight skidded off the runway and exploded at Muan International Airport in South Korea’s southwest, leaving the all 175 passengers dead. Among them were two Thai nationals: Ms. Jonglak Duangmanee, 45, from Udon Thani, and Ms. Sirithorn, 22, from Chiang Rai.

 

Ms. Jonglak Duangmanee

 

Reporters visited the home of Ms. Jonglak Duangmanee in Nong Saeng village, Kut Mak Fai subdistrict, Nong Wua So district, Udon Thani province. Her father, Mr. Boonchuay Duangmanee, 77, along with relatives, was discussing arrangements to bring Ms. Jonglak’s body back for funeral rites. Local officials, including the village headman and district officers, were present to gather further details.

 

Mr. Boonchuay expressed his immense grief, saying, “I was shocked when I learned my daughter was on the flight. I’ve seen such news on television but never thought it would happen to my own family.” He explained that Ms. Jonglak, the youngest of his three children, had been working in South Korea legally for seven years. She was married to a South Korean national and worked in a factory in Naju.

 

Ms. Jonglak returned to Thailand with her husband earlier this month to visit her hometown. She stayed in Udon Thani from December 9 to 13 before sending her husband back to South Korea on December 14. She then spent time in Phichit with her two children before travelling to Bangkok to board the ill-fated flight on December 29.

 

Mr. Boonchuay recounted haunting premonitions before the tragedy. “When she last visited, she said she wouldn’t come back if the family kept fighting. I was unable to take her to the airport during her visit because I was busy helping a sick relative. Before she left, she gave me 10,000 baht and told me to pay her funeral insurance with it. I never imagined it would be used for her funeral.”

 

Fighting back tears, Mr. Boonchuay added, “I just want my daughter’s body returned home so I can see her face one last time.”

 

Ms. Jonglak and her husband had spent the early part of December touring Chiang Mai and Udon Thani before their tragic parting. She had planned to return to South Korea on the ill-fated flight. Her family now awaits updates, clinging to the hope of bringing her home for her final rites.

 

Ms. Sirithorn

 

The family of 22-year-old “Nong Meuy” Ms. Sirithorn, a fourth-year student at Bangkok University, is devastated by the news of her death in the Jeju Air crash in South Korea. The crash occurred while she was on her way to visit her mother, who has been living in South Korea for over a decade.

Ms. Sirithorn, from the village of Huay Nam Khun in Chiang Rai, was travelling to South Korea as part of her regular visits during school breaks. Her mother had travelled to Muan International Airport to pick her up, as she had done during previous trips.

 

Nong Meuy’s uncle, 37-year-old Mr. Teerathat Chua-e, shared the family’s shock and grief. He explained that he first received a report from his sister, Nong Meuy’s mother, about an issue with the plane during landing. He didn’t anticipate the situation would escalate so dramatically. “At first, we thought the problem wasn’t serious, and we hoped she would be fine,” he said. “But when I saw footage of the crash and explosion on social media, I couldn’t bring myself to tell anyone, not even her mother, for fear of alarming her. But soon after, her mother learned the tragic news from the airport.”

 

Mr. Teerathat explained that Nong Meuy’s mother was in a state of shock and had been anxiously waiting at the airport for further updates and the return of her daughter’s body.

 

The family is now preparing to travel to South Korea to arrange for Nong Meuy’s remains to be returned to Thailand. “We are not sure whether the funeral will take place in South Korea or whether we will bring her body back to conduct the ceremony in Thailand,” Mr. Teerathat said. “We’ll be flying to Korea tomorrow to begin the process.”

 

Nong Meuy was a source of immense pride for her family. As a member of an ethnic minority group, she was among the few in her community to attend university. She excelled in her studies and won a scholarship to pursue a degree in Airline Business Management at Bangkok University’s Faculty of Humanities and Tourism.

 

Nong Meuy had long dreamed of becoming a flight attendant after graduation. With just three months left before completing her degree, her family had been eagerly planning to attend her graduation ceremony. Her tragic death has left them devastated, and they are now struggling to cope with the loss of a bright future full of promise.

 

Related article:

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1347425-jeju-air-flight-from-bangkok-skids-off-runway-at-muan-airport-28-dead/

 

 

-- 2024-12-30

 

[hotchilli]

Tragic strikes at the most inappropriate times..

RiP

[Hanuman2547]

A very tragic accident.  My condolences to the families of those whose loved ones were taken from them.