Smiling American tourist Jerry Allen Hart, 74, thanks taxi driver Veeraphol Klamsiri, 57, for returning a bag containing 9,8000 US dollars — about 320,000 baht — left in his cab, as Suvarnabhumi airport… (Photo by Sutthiwit Chayutworakan

A taxi driver has been praised for his honesty after he returned more than 300,000 baht in cash to a retired American police officer who had left the money in his cab on Tuesday.

The return of the lost money by taxi driver Veeraphol Klamsiri to Jerry Allen Hart, the owner of the bag, was witnessed by Pol Col Viroj Tadsor, superintendent of Suvarnabhumi airport and airport officials at around 8.30pm on Tuesday.

Veeraphol, 57, said he found the money in a small cloth bag under his seat while cleaning his cab on Tuesday morning after driving a foreign passenger to Suvarnabhumi airport and another passenger to an inner Bangkok area. He opened the bag and found a bundle of money with a number written on top: “9,800 US dollars’’ — about 320,000 baht.

He immediately alerted the Jor Sor 100 traffic radio station to help find the owner of the bag. Later on Tuesday evening, he was contacted by airport police, who told him an American tourist had filed a complaint with police that he had lost his bag while traveling to the airport. The driver then drove back to the airport to return the money to its owner.

A smiling Jerry Allen Hart, a former American police officer, was delighted to get his money back. He thanked the taxi driver for returning his lost bag and praised him for his honesty.

He said he was not expecting to see the money again until he received the good news from police.

The American tourist said he had traveled to Thailand five times and had considered spending the rest of his life in the country since so many Thai people were polite and full of smiles. After this incident, he said, he was certain he would spend the rest of his life in the kingdom.

Taxi driver Veeraphol Klamsiri points to the place he found the bag left by an American passenger. (Photo by Sutthiwit Chayutworakan)

(Photo by Sutthiwit Chayutworakan)

…

Photo: Facebook/ Natchaphon Saengkaewsri

SOURCE:  COCONUTS BANGKOK An unlicensed motorbike cabbie is facing charges after allegedly pulling a knife on a district traffic official and trying to attack him, after being stopped for riding his motorcycle on the sidewalk in the Lat Phrao area on Friday.

Yesterday afternoon, Chokchai police took Sakan Mankong, 39, to the Criminal Court in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district to pursue a temporary 12-day detention while the police interrogate witnesses and wait for a medical report on non-knife-related injuries sustained by the officer, according to Matichon.

The incident occurred at about 3:30pm on Friday, after Sorasak Sura-ubol, a district law officer, stopped and warned Sakan for allegedly driving on the sidewalk near Soi 79 in Lat Phrao, according to police.

Suddenly enraged for being pulled over, Sakan allegedly struck the district official on his left shoulder with his fist three times, reported Siamrath.

At that point, Sorasak decided to put a wheel clamp on the perpetrator’s motorbike.

Sakan then allegedly escalated the situation by throwing his spare helmet to the ground, then producing a box-cutter and leaping towards the officer.

The incident came to public attention when passerby Natchaphon Saengkaewsri recorded and posted a video capturing the aftermath of the alleged attack to his Facebook page on Friday.

“Why the f*ck did you arrest me!” the motorcyclist yells, as he hustles towards the officer.

“You used a cutter knife! You attacked an official! You tried to stab me!” the officer responded.

Meanwhile, other motor-taxi drivers, who have obviously stopped to help reconcile the situation, can be heard telling Sakan to calm down.

“Come at me, one on one!” Sakan challenges the officer.

The video has since received more than 500,000 views and almost 3,500 shares.

This incident occurred just four days after a delivery man knocked a schoolgirl downwhile riding on Bangkok sidewalk.

The charges against Sakan include physical assault, resisting an official from doing his duty by using force, carrying a weapon without a license, not having a driver’s license, and, of course, riding on the sidewalk, which you might be surprised to find out is not a God-given right in Thailand.

Deputy Bangkok Governor Sakolthee Phattiyakul has since announced that motorcyclists caught driving on Bangkok’s sidewalk will face a maximum fine of THB1,000 (instead of the usual THB500), in hopes that it would help solve the issue of motorcyclists illegally using the sidewalks as their personal shortcuts.

Needless to say, the government’s got a long way to go in their efforts to organize Thailand’s notoriously bad driving manners.

SOURCE:  COCONUTS BANGKOK https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/moto-cabbie-charged-allegedly-hitting-pulling-box-cutter-district-official-stopped-riding-sidewalk-video/

Photo: Sanook

A former cosmetics seller used his mad makeup skill to disguise himself to look like a foreigner, before then going out to steal from a gold shop in the Bangkok’s outskirts yesterday, police said.

According to employees of Aurora gold shop, located at Big C Bangbuathong, 30-year-old Wongsakorn Petchsanan asked to see four different gold necklaces, before he quickly ran away with them, leaving the shop’s staff in a panic.

Unfortunately for Wongsakorn, who was sporting a fake nose and blue contact lenses, his attempt at a Mission Impossible-style transformation didn’t help him avoid the security guard across the street. Radioed that a gold bandit was at large, the guard swooped in and grabbed the would-be thief as he tried to escape on a moto-taxi.

Wongsakorn was caught with four necklaces weighing a total of “24 baht” or 365 grams in his possession. The man was promptly hauled back to the gold shop, where police soon arrived to make the arrest, Amarin TV reported.

Photo: Sanook

According to today’s conversion rate from the Gold Traders Association, the four necklaces would be worth approximately THB471,600 (US$14,410) in total.

Pol. Col. Sarayuth Sawaddichai said that the length’s the suspect went to look like “a foreigner,” proved the gold theft had been planned out thoughtfully.

He has been charged with theft.

SOURCE:  COCONUTS BANGKOK  https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/thai-man-disguises-foreigner-steal-gold-shop/

Traffic police commander Nithithon Jintakanont speaks about the arrest of big bike users at a news conference at traffic police head office in Bangkok on Friday. (Photo by Tawatchai Kemgumnerd)

In what could be said to be a waste of police resources considering all the other wildly dangerous things that happen hour by hour here on the roads, the BIB have gone and arrested 4 motorcycle riders for the egregious action of popping some wheelies. (Opinion).  Here’s the story by Bangkok Post below.

Police have arrested four big-bike riders for doing wheelies on roads and three Facebook page administrators for encouraging the risky behaviour.

Traffic police commander Nithithon Jintakanont told reporters on Friday that Worapat Kitcharoennamchai and Naroot Pomprapa, administrators of a Facebook page named Sai Ban Thoeng, and Chanathan Jitkaew, administrator of page Hell Big Trip, were arrested for encouraging other people to ride motorcycles without considering the safety of other people’s life and property.

Police also arrested Jirayuth Thongsom, Montree Ounjai, Jakrawut Premsri and Wayu Pengsakul for riding motorcycles without considering the safety of other people’s life and property.

Investigators learned the Facebook pages had about 500,000 followers along with messages encouraging bikers to do wheelies, and there was evidence the four arrested bikers did so.

The offences carry a maximum jail term of three months and/or fine of 2,000-10,000 baht.

Members of the Facebook pages aged 16-31 years had traveled to Kanchanaburi province and performed wheelies for video clips. They said they had practised the stunt by themselves on roads, and had sometimes been injured, Pol Maj Gen Nithithon said.

MOTORCYCLE WHEELIE, RACE, SHOW VIDEOS:

A Bangkok driver has been killed after his pickup truck appears to have hit a wild elephant on an unlit road in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Pak Chong district. The driver has been identified as 58 year old Nakharin Boonchai.

Officials believe the pickup hit a large elephant as the road was dark and the driver could not see the large mammal.

His badly-damaged pickup was found on the road in Ban Kud Kla Phan Suek in Tambon Moo Si. Rescuers had to use hydraulic iron cutters to extract his body from the wreckage.

The chief of the Khaoyai National Park, who inspected the scene with police and emergency responders, noticed footsteps of a large elephant at the seven of the accident, which indicated that the elephant walked back into the forest.

The Chief said wild elephants often roamed in the area, called Chao Duan. Park officials say they will try to locate the elephant which is probably injured.

The road is often crossed by wild elephants at that point because it divides Khaoyai National Park and a corn plantation. Early this month, a pickup truck driver was injured when his vehicle hit a wild elephant at the same location.

Officials plan to install street lamps at the location to help prevent further accidents.

SOURCE:  By The Thaiger & The Nation

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