Bangkok cabbie returns cameras worth THB600,000 to Dutch passengers

[ableguy]

How many of you would have acted this way ???????????????????????????????///

[gavin310]

Yeah, the camera photo at the top of this article is the actual camera. After the bag was returned they took one of the cameras to a professional studio and had it shot along with post-production, just for this article... How do people not realize that's just an illustration for the article? A full bag of professional camera gear can easily top 1 million baht.

[deecee10]

Could this article be a made up one for a feel good propaganda? I mean com-on, B 600,000 camera?

$ 20,000 ? in Thailand? feel fishy to me,

Don't you know that the camera never lies.

[garyk]

Thanks Lemon Jelly, you can tell I am a die hard birder...

[Tywais]

Looking at the police photo I have to admit it looks like a bit of a stretch to see 600k worth of equipment there.

http://www.dailynews.co.th/sites/default/files/imagecache/620x245/photos/218503/0.jpg

[sunshine51]

Bag with 600K baht worth of camera gear in it? Easily....just depends on what camera's, lenses

and other accessories were also in the bag. I'm a Nikon kinda guy and & also agree with GaryK;

3 of my lenses which are less than a year old & cost me nearly 2 million Baht. I also have a Hassie

H4D50 but let's not go there ok...no need to. Good gear cost big Baht, Dollars, Rubles etc. The

fact that the taxi driver was nice & honest to return the bag & gear makes the story all that much

better. Can't say the same about the bags owner though...freakin dumbass.

Edited July 12, 2013 by sunshine51

[sunshine51]

Looking at the police photo I have to admit it looks like a bit of a stretch to see 600k worth of equipment there.

http://www.dailynews.co.th/sites/default/files/imagecache/620x245/photos/218503/0.jpg

Having just seen your post Ty...I must agree with you...pix isn't good enough to grab a make & model

though. I'll just let it go with the driver was a good guy...regardless of value.

[ETatBKK]

thanks Tywais, this picture tells almost everything, except where is the most important stakeholder - the honest taxi driver ? !

looking into the picture, the bag, the size of that camera ( an entry level Canon ? ) and an additional lens next to it, I guess there was a number error in this news :- ) someone may need reading glasses while typing in this news !

[BangkokHank]

Very possible. I have two Canon lenses I paid right at 550K for in BKK this year. And they are just plain photographic lenses. Not specialty lenses what so ever. And that is without the camera or accessories. Some Cinema lenses cost mega money.

If he was a birder like me. I have seen hundreds of Thai and farang with well over 1 million in a camera bag.

www.flickr.com/photos/avianphotos

Am I the only one who thought you meant the OTHER kind of birds?

[WhizBang]

As a photographer, I can state that "some" professional gear can run into those kinds of figures, but it is highly unlikely that anyone carrying that kind of equipment would just "forget" it in a taxi.

Anyone carrying that kind of gear is VERY aware of their equipment and it's value and would not let it out of their sight for even a second. Unless of course, they were filthy rich and the value of the gear was nothing more than chump change. In which case the question becomes, why were these filthy rich people using a common taxi?

My guess is that the value of the gear is grossly exaggerated to enhance the 'feel good' story.

[WhizBang]

Looking at the police photo I have to admit it looks like a bit of a stretch to see 600k worth of equipment there.

http://www.dailynews.co.th/sites/default/files/imagecache/620x245/photos/218503/0.jpg

Agreed. I think there is probably one too many zeros in the title headline.

[hellodolly]

Right on cue !!!!! On the taxi machete killer thread, someone had predicted exactly a story like this one. Amazing timing.... :-)

It does happen more than reported. Years ago left a cheap cell phone in a cab, while standing in line at the Burma Embassy he drove up and got my attention handed me the phone and drove off. There are a lot of honest Thais out there, they are missed because most folks just worried about the dishonest people.

Unfortunately a lot of people don't want to hear about the honest people.

They will spend a fortune buying news articles about graft, corruption, cheating,stealing, murder and other low bottom things.

They will not spend one baht to hear about a feel good good thing.

[hellodolly]

Could this article be a made up one for a feel good propaganda? I mean com-on, B 600,000 camera?

$ 20,000 ? in Thailand? feel fishy to me,

If you read the article you will notice it say's nothing of the value of the camera It says the bag.

Not being a big camera man I am not completely ignorant about them either. There are lens that can coast far more than the camera and be in the bag.

Head lines like that are geared to people who don't want to know the whole story just go off half cocked. It would appear this Coconuts is no better than the Nation

[hellodolly]

As a photographer, I can state that "some" professional gear can run into those kinds of figures, but it is highly unlikely that anyone carrying that kind of equipment would just "forget" it in a taxi.

Anyone carrying that kind of gear is VERY aware of their equipment and it's value and would not let it out of their sight for even a second. Unless of course, they were filthy rich and the value of the gear was nothing more than chump change. In which case the question becomes, why were these filthy rich people using a common taxi?

My guess is that the value of the gear is grossly exaggerated to enhance the 'feel good' story.

My guess is you have never had a senior moment in your life. They don't have a money value on them.

[hellodolly]

Very possible. I have two Canon lenses I paid right at 550K for in BKK this year. And they are just plain photographic lenses. Not specialty lenses what so ever. And that is without the camera or accessories. Some Cinema lenses cost mega money.

If he was a birder like me. I have seen hundreds of Thai and farang with well over 1 million in a camera bag.

www.flickr.com/photos/avianphotos

Fantastic photos, Gary…. it's worth a look on his flickr link people…...

+1

[EyesWideOpen]

"Cue reality.....I left my phone in a taxi in Bangkok. When I called the guy on another phone he then ransomed my phone back to me....."

That's because he "sensed" that you were an arrogant <deleted> ! Not saying you are, of course, but that is what he sensed.

Your spider sense is pretty crappy. As I knew he would not be able to speak English, I had a Thai make the actual call, who then translated the ransom demand back to me. Is it possible the taxi guy was so astute he was able to sense arrogance from a second party? Nope, I doubt it. Score zero for astuteness to you......and back to the " defend all things Thai" bullpen for you.

Edited July 12, 2013 by EyesWideOpen

[monkey4u]

Could this article be a made up one for a feel good propaganda? I mean com-on, B 600,000 camera?

$ 20,000 ? in Thailand? feel fishy to me,

Maybe what was inside the camera was worth 600,00 baht

The Dutch are quite open about drugs and other entertainment

[belg]

euh, golden camera or something?

hardly worth 60.000

but hey, we were all waiting for the montly thai good feel story : honest taxi .... yeah right

PR

[Chao Lao Beach]

I think a Phase1 is $56,000USD, just for the body, not including a bag of lenses. Not that I have even seen one in Thailand !!

[mikemac]

"Your spider sense is pretty crappy. As I knew he would not be able to speak English, I had a Thai make the actual call, who then translated the ransom demand back to me. Is it possible the taxi guy was so astute he was able to sense arrogance from a second party? Nope, I doubt it. Score zero for astuteness to you......and back to the " defend all things Thai" bullpen for you.".........................................................................

Perhaps the aura you were emanating was so powerful that he did not have to be so astute as to sense the arrogance.

And if you think I defend all things Thai then you don't know shit. But I do condemn all things racist, redneck and just plain nasty. Which is why I don't like people, either Thai or Western, who fall under that banner.

By the way, was your phone gagged and blindfolded and were you allowed to speak to it, so you knew it was still "alive" ?

[DocN]

Who cares how much the camera costed?

They lost it, he returned it- The End!

What makes me tick about it: he did what every "normally" educated person with a tiny bit of moral standards would have done.

Good on him!

The way this is handeld by the OP makes me think, it is really newsworthy, because they all know (and I would surely think so, if I were a cynic!) like "Oh...wow...a taxi-d river that is really honest...now look at that!"

...but I am not a cynic, of course!

[slipperylobster]

They must have been very happy. Good to hear something positive here.

[barefoot1988]

looking at the actual contrnt, guess the value probably got inflated by import taxes. obviously written for pr purposes

but here is the thing, carelessness do happens. personally my holiday would be ruined had i left my dslr on a cabby, leaving me on just phone cameras. glad they got it back