Thailand’s Tourist Police earn praise for assisting stranded French and Canadian tourists

Thailand’s Tourist Police received praise in Thai media for assisting a French tourist and a Canadian tourist in need of help in Sa Keao province in eastern Thailand yesterday.

Pol. Lt. Col. Jiraphat Khaewsiri, from the Sa Keao Tourist Police force, lead a patrol yesterday when he spotted a foreign woman walking along the Suwannasorn Road. As soon as she noticed the police, she flagged down the car for help.

The tourist, 27 year old Coline from France, asked the police officers for help to get to Buriram province. Coline said she was travelling in Cambodia before entering Thailand via the Ban Khlong Luek land border in the Aranyaprathet district, reports DailyNews.

The officers picked up Coline and dropped her off at the Aranyaprathet Bus Terminal so she could take a bus to Buriram province.

On the way, the patrol car passed another forlorn-looking foreign tourist along the Sa Keao – Chanthaburi Road. The tourist, 75 year old Randolph from Canada, revealed that he was trying to return to his condo in Pattaya in Chon Buri province but had run out of money. Police didn’t say what the Canadian tourist was doing wandering around Sa Keao.

The Tourist Police checked Randolph’s documents and rang the staff at his condo to coordinate his return. Police then arranged for a public taxi to take Randolph from Sa Keao safely back to his condo in Pattaya.

Pol. Lt. Col. Jiraphat said that he helped the stranded French and Canadian tourists according to the Tourist Police motto “we are your first friend.”

He said the Tourist Police’s duty is to ensure that tourists feel that the police are their friends and act in a way which reinforces this image. Both tourists thanked the officers for their help, he added.

DailyNews praised the officer not only for ensuring the tourists’ safety but for “creating a good image” of tourism in Sa Keao province.

Tourists in Thailand are urged to download the ‘Tourist Police i lert u‘ mobile application which they can use to request help if they are a victim of a crime, get injured, or lost during their stay in the kingdom.