Phuket som tam restaurant returns 200,000 baht to European tourist

A European tourist was reunited with his bag containing money and assets worth 200,000 baht yesterday thanks to the honest owner of a som tam restaurant in Phuket, southern Thailand.

The restaurant, Som Tam Yam 3 Aow, posted photos of the smiling tourist with a big stash of cash on Facebook with the caption…

“From the incident where a customer had forgotten a bag at the shop yesterday containing cash and assets worth almost 200,000 baht.

“Today, the customer has contacted me and has already come to collect his bag. The customer checked the assets inside already. Everything is still there.

“Customers can be assured that the restaurant will look after anything they leave behind. It will not disappear for sure.

“Right now the restaurant is holding many lost items including hats, kids’ shoes, water bottles, and sunglasses. If you’ve lost anything you can come and collect it or let us know and we will send it back to you.”

Netizens praised the restaurant owner for their honesty and consideration and encouraged others to support them by eating som tam (spicy papaya salad) from Som Tam Yam 3 Aow in Soi Leammumnai in Karon subdistrict, Mueang Phuket district.

Last week, a Bangkok taxi driver was praised for his kindness after going the extra mile to return 170,000 baht to a Laotian tourist travelling in Thailand.

The tourist left a SuperRich Currency Exchange envelope containing Hong Kong dollars equivalent to 167,659 baht. The driver said…

“On the slip, there was a phone number. I rang the number but no one answered, so I called FM91 Trafficpro [traffic news channel] and asked them to make an announcement to find the owner because I don’t want to keep it myself. It’s a lot of money. I know that the tourist will travel to Hong Kong.”

The tourist had already left for Hong Kong, so his Thai friend Phuttiphat Kusolmanit collected the cash on his behalf…

“I came to receive the money on behalf of my Laotian friend who is in Hong Kong. He’d exchanged money for his trip and then left it in the taxi. He thought he wouldn’t get it back. He had no hope at all. He was very lucky to meet this taxi driver. Thank you for returning the money.”