Volunteer Manit Bantherng
directs traffic during peak hours in Soi Nernplabwan.
Surasak Huasoon
Amid the honking cars, buzzing motorbikes and belching trucks that traverse
Pattaya’s two railroad-access roads, a 52-year-old local resident stands
alone, trying to ease the chaos.
Manit Bantherng is not a traffic cop. He’s simply a man trying to bring
peace to others. For six years, he’s directed traffic on Soi Nernplabwan
during the morning school hours and afternoon rush, not collecting a single
baht until a local market showed its appreciation and began paying him a
stipend.
“How much one can do for society depends on one’s conscience,” Manit said.
“If actions are taken for society, they should be done with a pure heart,
without any expectation of compensation,” he said.
Exercising his big heart, however, is exhausting, he said. The constant
fatigue, though, is bearable since he’s helping neighbors, Manit said. He
simply wants to serve.
