Thai taxi driver returns over 300,000 baht to Sri Lankan tourists
A Thai taxi driver returned more than 300,000 baht to two Sri Lankan tourists in Bangkok yesterday, June 2, after finding a forgotten bag in his cab and contacting FM91, a traffic and public assistance radio station, to help trace the owners.
The driver, 50 year old Pathapee Yamsanor from Samut Prakan, called FM91 at 8.37am after finding a black shoulder bag inside his green-yellow taxi.
Inside were 8,500 euros, worth about 322,269 baht, one pair of white Tommy Hilfiger trainers, and a room key.
Pathapee said he had picked up foreign passengers from Suvarnabhumi International Airport at about 8.10am and dropped them off at Silom Soi 19 in Bangkok. He said he was shocked when he saw the large amount of cash and wanted to return it immediately.
“The money does not belong to me. Whenever I find lost items, I always return them.”
He said most previous cases involved mobile phones or smaller sums of money, but this bag had been left behind the rear seat, making it unclear who owned it.
FM91 later announced the search for the owner. A staff member from the tourists’ accommodation contacted the station to report the lost bag, and FM91 arranged the return.
The handover took place at FM91’s radio station on Phahon Yothin Road in Chatuchak, Bangkok. The owners were identified as Mohammed Aashif and Mohammed Onaiz, both Sri Lankan tourists visiting Thailand.
One of them said he felt tired and sleepy when he got into the taxi and placed the bag behind the headrest. After arriving at their accommodation, they realised the bag was missing.
They filed a police report and returned to wait at the accommodation, but could not enter their room because the key was inside the bag.
FM91 reported that the tourists said they were grateful that the taxi driver found the money and returned it. They also rewarded Pathapee as a thank-you gesture.
In a similar incident, a Bangkok taxi driver has returned more than 154,000 baht to a Japanese passenger who had left it in his cab. The woman, who had already flown back to Japan on March 6, never expected to see her valuables again.
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