PATTAYA, Thailand – A disabled man in Nongprue has been left devastated after a thief stole the sidecar motorcycle he relied on to earn a living and support his family. Suthep Sombatjaroen, 57, who has a physical disability affecting his arms and legs, reported the theft to Nongprue Police Station on July 13, asking authorities to help recover the vehicle that he described as essential to his daily life. The stolen vehicle is a blue-and-red Honda 125i motorcycle with a sidecar. Suthep said he parked it outside his home in Soi Nong Mai Kaen 10, Moo 7, East Pattaya, at around 10 p.m. on July 12.
When he woke the following morning, the motorcycle had disappeared. After asking relatives to help search the area without success, he went to police to file a complaint. The motorcycle had only been purchased four months earlier, with financial assistance from Nongprue Municipality, to help Suthep earn income through small-scale selling and provide for his family. The vehicle also played an important role in helping care for his household, including taking his 10-year-old disabled child, who is studying in Grade 5, to school.
Fighting back tears, Suthep said: “There are so many vehicles. Why did they have to take mine?”
He said he has no money to buy a replacement and is now struggling because the motorcycle was his main means of earning a living. Suthep appealed to the thief to reconsider and return the vehicle, saying it would give his family a chance to continue their lives. He also told reporters that he is related to the famous Thai luk thung singer Sombatjaroen family, but said his own family lives modestly and does not have close connections with wealthy relatives.
