Honest Pattaya Taxi Driver Returns Cash And Valuables To Frenchman

[Rimmer]

Kind-Hearted Pattaya Taxi Driver returns cash and valuables to Frenchman

PATTAYA:--A kind-hearted Pattaya-based Taxi Driver returned a bag containing 400,000 Baht in cash along with a laptop computer and other personal items to a French Tourist who mistakenly left the items in the taxi following a short journey on Tuesday Night.

Mr. Daniel Andre Joly was picked up at the North Pattaya Bus Terminal and travelled the short distance to the Sawasdee Hotel when he left the items inside the taxi. The items were taken by the taxi driver, Khun Boonyern, to Pattaya Police Station who contacted the tourist on Wednesday and arranged a meeting involving the taxi driver and the tourist at the Police Station where the items were returned.

Full story:http://www.pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/59105/kind-hearted-pattaya-taxi-driver-returns-cash-valuables-frenchman/

-- Pattaya One 2012-07-19

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[LucidLucifer]

A nice story and it helps restore a little faith in people.

I wonder if he knew how much cash was in the bag though?

[Cardiff1963]

well don eall

[brianP]

I, on my first day in Thailand left my wallet and Gemstone case in a Taxi, I was going up the elevator in Crown Plaza and someone stopped the door from closing and i was late for my meeting and annoyed at the delay. To my surprise it was the Taxi driver with my stuff and even my half finished drink. I was floored by the sincerity of him doing his job and making sure his client got his possessions back! He refused a thousand baht i insisted on rewarding him, a lot of cash 15 years ago. I have learned since retiring here full time, that a true Buddhist cannot be bought or sold! The integrity of many Thais is indeed admirable and the older populations are full of these true heart people.

I noticed as a gem appraiser and go between in many transactions between Thai and multi-nationals that the Thais kept their word and especially the Thai-Thai nationals. The USA used to have an honorable handshake as a contract, but now you better get it all on legal paper.

Funny you only hear of the bad Thais and the scams, not the hard working Thais who have pride and ethics that give this place it's real Thai warmth. More reports of the fine deeds of Thais should be publicized.

[beb]

Funny you only hear of the bad Thais and the scams, not the hard working Thais who have pride and ethics that give this place it's real Thai warmth. More reports of the fine deeds of Thais should be publicized.

Agreed. I often wonder why so many people are living here when their focus seems to be nothing but negative things about the country. Like everywhere there are good and bad people.

[LennyW]

There are many reports of honest taxi drivers throughout Thailand returning valuables to careless customers, however, good news does not sell newspapers/get internet attention.

[doggie888888]

A nice story and it helps restore a little faith in people.

I wonder if he knew how much cash was in the bag though?

The point is he did not look nor cared about the contents and he took the effort to return the items to the owner.

[laurentbkk]

once my maid forgot her baby trolley in a taxi but the driver never came back ....

[alancharles]

once my maid forgot her baby trolley in a taxi but the driver never came back ....Maybe he didn't see it

[rotary]

Just confirms what I have always thought and knew........the majority of Thai's are good people.

[jambodave]

At last a good news story.

[ozziebloke]

good story ! gets away from all the sad things in the news these days

[Rimmer]

Back handed compliment and generalisation removed, also quoted replies

[LucidLucifer]

A nice story and it helps restore a little faith in people.

I wonder if he knew how much cash was in the bag though?

The point is he did not look nor cared about the contents and he took the effort to return the items to the owner.

No, the point is, when faced with the prospect of making what could be the equivalent of 2 or 3 years salary in one fell swoop, the morality of even the most honest person would be tested. I am not directing this at just Thais, but at the whole human race. It's a sad and sorry fact.

Hats off to the cabbie, but I still maintain that the outcome might well have been different had he known the full value of what he was returning. If betting was legal in this country I'd wager he either thought he was just giving back a laptop bag, or that he'd get caught for sure and didn't want to take the risk.

[Darrel]

Many (most? all?) of the larger hotels have CCTV covering the front entrance and driveway, so it should be easy enough to work out which taxi anyone arrived/left in.

If I was in this driver's position I would certainly return everything, unless perhaps it was enough money to leave the country on the first available flight with and to retire on. 400K baht would not cover that.

[stefb1964]

I, on my first day in Thailand left my wallet and Gemstone case in a Taxi, I was going up the elevator in Crown Plaza and someone stopped the door from closing and i was late for my meeting and annoyed at the delay. To my surprise it was the Taxi driver with my stuff and even my half finished drink. I was floored by the sincerity of him doing his job and making sure his client got his possessions back! He refused a thousand baht i insisted on rewarding him, a lot of cash 15 years ago. I have learned since retiring here full time, that a true Buddhist cannot be bought or sold! The integrity of many Thais is indeed admirable and the older populations are full of these true heart people.

I noticed as a gem appraiser and go between in many transactions between Thai and multi-nationals that the Thais kept their word and especially the Thai-Thai nationals. The USA used to have an honorable handshake as a contract, but now you better get it all on legal paper.

Funny you only hear of the bad Thais and the scams, not the hard working Thais who have pride and ethics that give this place it's real Thai warmth. More reports of the fine deeds of Thais should be publicized.

Nice to read some good lines in here. Thanks BrianP.

[mrdome]

Some people should perhaps consider tying a string from their arm/hand to the bag they cannot afford to lose - hide it under a long shirt and make it long enough so you can still use both hands. I'm serious too.

[Ben9]

about 5 year ago I handed in washing to launderette and forgot to take out the money I had taken from the bank earlier from the pocket of my pants along with some coin and a few notes I already had in my pocket. To my suprise their was a knock on the door and the lady from the launderette was there with all the money, over 4000 baht and the loose change also, she refused a tip also

[witje78]

once my maid forgot her baby trolley in a taxi but the driver never came back ....

Funny that all your posts I read seem to give negative experiences/views on Thailand. I'm not a regular poster here but do follow the news here and noticed a lot of your previous messages already. They all seem to involve bitching about Thailand and even on a positive story like this you are able to come up with a (IMO completely useless remark) about an item that went missing in a taxi (probably would never happen in where ever you come from). Like another poster already mentioned, makes me wonder why you want to live here in the first place (or where and with whom you hang out)!

That being mentioned, my experiences are similar to the story here; I can sum up a lot of stories of Thais being sincere and honest. Wallets returned on the train, returned when found on the street, money being returned at the laundryshop after forgetting it in pockets, people chasing you down the street because you forgot your change, etc, etc.

By the way, it's not that all these events only happened to me in person, but I think it makes clear that most Thais aren't only after your money but are just honest and helpfull people that try to live a good life!

[Docno]

A nice story and it helps restore a little faith in people.

I wonder if he knew how much cash was in the bag though?

The point is he did not look nor cared about the contents and he took the effort to return the items to the owner.

No, the point is, when faced with the prospect of making what could be the equivalent of 2 or 3 years salary in one fell swoop, the morality of even the most honest person would be tested. I am not directing this at just Thais, but at the whole human race. It's a sad and sorry fact.

Hats off to the cabbie, but I still maintain that the outcome might well have been different had he known the full value of what he was returning. If betting was legal in this country I'd wager he either thought he was just giving back a laptop bag, or that he'd get caught for sure and didn't want to take the risk.

Why do you assume that he didn't look inside? Seems like you're relying on reverse logic to maintain your belief system that Thais, or people in general, cannot be good... 'If he returned it, must be because he didn't know how valuable it was'. Depressing way to look at the world.

There was a similar story to this a few months back. Cabbie in Bangkok found a bunch of gold bars in his vehicle and returned them to the owner.

[cdnski12]

Kudos to the Thai Taxi Man. A few years ago, I was at a small hotel in Siem Reap, Cambodia. We had a an 8 hr bus ride from Phnom Phen and a hot taxi ride from the distant bus terminal. The hotel had a very inviting pool, so the Thai GF & I dropped our gear in the room, grabbed a quick shower and were getting out our swim suits, when there was a knock on the door. A flustered desk clerk insisted we return to the booking desk, as there was a "PROBLEM" with my Visa Payment. I was really irritated, because I always pay my Visa Balances, so there should not have been a problem. The Cambodian Hotel Clerks generally speak very good English, so I was happy that the Hotel Accountant realized a clerk had mistakenly added an extra "0" to the $100 USD Invoice. WOW!! They cancelled the Visa Charge and then ran my card again. i had a nervous day, until I could confirm via Internet banking that my Visa Account wasn't charged $1000. I'd never have noticed until I got home a few months later. Now, I really check my invoices. Interestingly, that was one of the very few times the GF didn't check the Invoice. She was a Book & Time Keeper for various Construction Companies, when she was younger. She is very good with Numbers and Financial Calculations. She says that it is very common to fudge Thai Invoices. Payees seldom notice. A good practice, is to always check your Bills & Invoices. She always grabs my tips and cuts them at least in half, but always insists we tip Hotel Room staff.

[Darrel]

....a clerk had mistakenly added an extra "0" to the $100 USD Invoice.

You don't check every bill, twice, everywhere in the world before you pay? I do, including western supermarket till receipts, and as a result I have noticed many hundreds of "mistakes" over the years. Not always to my detriment but more often than not.

[pauljones]

Why is a guy with 400,000Bt riding the bus and staying at the Sawadee I wonder?

[kurnell]

The reason that this sort of story isn't reported too often is that it rarely happens. Since 1993 numerous friends, colleagues etc have left phones, PDAs, laptops in taxis and none of them have been returned.

There are honest taxi drivers out there, and the Thais that I have worked with over the years have been very honest, but taxi drivers in general are not in my opinion.

[Darrel]

Why is a guy with 400,000Bt riding the bus and staying at the Sawadee I wonder?

Intending to spend the money on more rewarding things than long-distance taxis and expensive rooms?

[elwood]

The reason that this sort of story isn't reported too often is that it rarely happens. Since 1993 numerous friends, colleagues etc have left phones, PDAs, laptops in taxis and none of them have been returned.

There are honest taxi drivers out there, and the Thais that I have worked with over the years have been very honest, but taxi drivers in general are not in my opinion.

How do you know that they were taken by the taxi drivers, and not the next customer to sit in the car?

[LucidLucifer]

A nice story and it helps restore a little faith in people.

I wonder if he knew how much cash was in the bag though?

The point is he did not look nor cared about the contents and he took the effort to return the items to the owner.

No, the point is, when faced with the prospect of making what could be the equivalent of 2 or 3 years salary in one fell swoop, the morality of even the most honest person would be tested. I am not directing this at just Thais, but at the whole human race. It's a sad and sorry fact.

Hats off to the cabbie, but I still maintain that the outcome might well have been different had he known the full value of what he was returning. If betting was legal in this country I'd wager he either thought he was just giving back a laptop bag, or that he'd get caught for sure and didn't want to take the risk.

Why do you assume that he didn't look inside? Seems like you're relying on reverse logic to maintain your belief system that Thais, or people in general, cannot be good... 'If he returned it, must be because he didn't know how valuable it was'. Depressing way to look at the world.

There was a similar story to this a few months back. Cabbie in Bangkok found a bunch of gold bars in his vehicle and returned them to the owner.

The same could be said for you; why do you assume he did look inside and decided to be a good samaritan? I ask you, would you leave 400k in a taxi and expect to get it back? If you have that much faith in human nature, go and do it then report you findings. I'll be happy to retract my statement if you get it back.

[kurnell]

The reason that this sort of story isn't reported too often is that it rarely happens. Since 1993 numerous friends, colleagues etc have left phones, PDAs, laptops in taxis and none of them have been returned.

There are honest taxi drivers out there, and the Thais that I have worked with over the years have been very honest, but taxi drivers in general are not in my opinion.

How do you know that they were taken by the taxi drivers, and not the next customer to sit in the car?

I am sure a percentage were.

[Jimmyd]

The thing that sprung to my mind immediately was, why didn't the driver try to find the guy himself? Perhaps he did, but it seems that if he dropped the guy off at the guy's hotel, he should have been able to locate him without involving the police. Again, I could be wrong and maybe the taxi driver tried locating him at the hotel first, but it was the first thing I noticed when reading the story.

[BwindiBoy]

Sorry, but this really shouldn't even be a news story. The fact that it was felt news worthy speaks volumes to me.

p.s. Student carrying £8k in cash in Thailand - yeah, right!