Phuket Cabbie Returns German Tourist's Purse

[webfact]

Phuket cabbie returns German tourist's purse

Hebecca Lexamora (right) poses with taxi driver

Sompote Tongwattana at Central Festival Phuket.

PHUKET: -- A Phuket taxi driver saved a German tourist from holiday hell yesterday when he arranged for the purse she left in his vehicle to be returned.

The tourist, Hebecca Lexamora, went on a solo shopping trip to Central Festival Phuket yesterday morning.

When she was finished at 11am, Central Festival taxi stand manager Pom Sukkasem arranged for driver Sompote Tongwattana, 50, to take her back to the Ibis Erawan resort in Patong.

On his drive back to Central Festival, Mr Sompote noticed the German’s wallet on the back seat. As soon as he got back, the honest driver reported it to Mr Pom, who called the resort and notified the German that her purse was safe and sound.

She could pick it up at any time or even have it delivered, Mr Pom told her.

The call gave the German a huge sigh of relief, as the purse contained 14,000 baht in cash, foreign banknotes and other important personal documents.

Eager to be reunited with her purse and in a hurry to get to Phi Phi Island, Ms Hebecca headed straight back and picked up the purse at 1:30pm. She was so relieved that she broke down in tears.

She thanked Mr Sompote profusely, promising to return to Phuket in the future and extol the virtues of Mr Pom’s taxi rank to her friends back home.

Mr Pom said over 100 uniformed taxi drivers operate from the stand.

Records of each trip are recorded in order that problems like missing valuables can be dealt with as quickly as possible, he added.

-- Phuket Gazette 2010-11-11

[JetsetBkk]

Records of each trip are recorded in order that problems like missing valuables can be dealt with as quickly as possible, he added.

Pity this system isn't more widespread. If she'd got a tuk-tuk from Taweewong road in Patong, I doubt her tears would have been of relief.

[ScubaBuddha]

It's really disgusting that events such as these make the news. So they made a couple phone calls. Wow.... Is our opinion of tuk tuks and taxi drivers so low that we are shocked when they actually do something not dishonest, something which should be expected of them? Headline is basically saying: "Taxi driver actually doesn't steal money and valuables left behind by tourist." Sad really.

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Edited November 11, 2010 by ScubaBuddha

[siam2007]

wonder how much she gave him as a reward. I hope 1.000 THB at least.

no mentioning about that in the report