PATTAYA, Thailand – An Indian tourist was reunited with his wallet and about 16,000 baht in cash after a Pattaya motorcycle taxi driver found it and immediately handed it to police. At about 11 p.m. on October 2, 40-year-old motorcycle taxi driver Prasit Srimongkol, who operates near Soi 10 on Pattaya Beach, had just taken a passenger to Soi 6 and stopped to meet a friend. He noticed a brown wallet lying near a drainage channel behind the Chao Pho Khet Ngam Shrine at the entrance to Soi 6.
After checking the wallet, Prasit found important documents bearing the name Mr. Vinay Kumar, an Indian national, along with approximately 16,000 baht in cash. Rather than keeping the property, he immediately took the wallet to Pattaya Police Station and handed it to Pol. Capt. Supakit Khonthi, an investigating officer, asking police to help locate its owner.
About 30 minutes later, Vinay arrived at the station with a Thai female friend after learning that police had received his wallet. Vinay told police that he had been walking along Pattaya Beach with his Thai friend before returning to his accommodation. He did not know where he had lost the wallet until he was contacted and told that someone had found it and handed it to police.
Prasit said that once he realized the wallet belonged to a foreign tourist and contained cash and important documents, he decided to hand it over to police immediately because he was concerned that the owner could face difficulties if the items were lost. The quick return left the Indian tourist impressed and highlighted a positive example of honesty and consideration from a member of Pattaya’s local community.
