Thai woman rewards honest collector with job after cash return
A Thai woman rewarded a garbage collector with a job at her rubber store in the Isaan province of Udon Thani after he found her lost cash totalling 100,000 baht and returned the entire amount to her.
The 28 year old garbage collector, Boonkong “Namfon” Manmueangpak, arrived at Klang Yai Police Station on his bicycle yesterday, March 13, asking officers to find the rightful owner of 100,000 baht in cash that he had found on the roadside.
Namfon explained that he was cycling and searching for recyclable garbage when he noticed the cash near an electricity pole. The officers then took Namfon to the scene for a reenactment.
While they were conducting the reenactment, a 41 year old woman, Piyanut Srithong, arrived and immediately approached the police to report her lost money.
Piyanut explained that she worked at a rubber store, buying rubber products from locals in the area and later selling them to multiple factories.
Her employer, Wilai Prapkhonchua, needed a large amount of cash to purchase the rubber products, so she asked Piyanut to pawn her gold accessories at a nearby shop for cash.
After completing the procedures to prove her rightful ownership of the money, the police returned the cash to Piyanut. Grateful for Namfon’s honesty, she gave him 3,000 baht as a reward and offered to take him home.
Upon arriving at Namfon’s home, Piyanut felt saddened by his living conditions. He resided in a shabby wooden house with his grandmother and collected recyclables to make a living.
The recycling garbage factory would come to his home twice a month to buy the garbage, and he earned only 500 to 600 baht each time.
To help Namfon and reward his honesty, Piyanut consulted with her employer, who decided to hire him to work at the store.
Wilai stated that a person like Namfon is a rare find, as others may have taken the money and spent it all, but Namfon did not.
Namfon’s story caught the attention of several Thai news agencies. Speaking to the media, he said, “I don’t want the money because it was not mine.”
He added that his grandmother had taught him never to take valuables belonging to others.
Namfon expressed his happiness at having a more stable job, saying that it would enable him to take better care of his grandmother.
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